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Cited by 42Innovations in Aquaponics and Hydroponics SystemsPlant Growth and Agriculture TechniquesGrowth and nutrition in plants

Cultivar-Specific Performance and Qualitative Descriptors for Butterhead Salanova Lettuce Produced in Closed Soilless Cultivation as a Candidate Salad Crop for Human Life Support in Space

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El-Nakhel, Christophe, Giordano, Maria, Pannico, Antonio, Carillo, Petronia, Fusco, Giovanna Marta, De Pascale, Stefania, Rouphael, Youssef·2019·Life
DOI 10.3390/life9030061PMC PMC6789809
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Abstract

Plant production is crucial for space journeys self-autonomy by contributing to the dietary intake necessary to sustain the physical and psychological well-being of space colonists, as well as for contributing to atmospheric revitalization, water purification and waste product recycling. Choosing the appropriate cultivar is equally important as the species selection, since cultivar influences the obtained fresh biomass, water use efficiency (WUE), growing cycle duration, qualitative features and postharvest performance. Two differently pigmented butterhead Lactuca sativa L. (red and green Salanova) cultivars were assessed in terms of morphometric, mineral, bioactive and physiological parameters. The experiment was carried out in a controlled environment growth chamber using a closed soilless system (nutrient film technique). Red Salanova registered a biomass of 130 g at harvest, which was 22.1% greater than green Salanova, and a water uptake of 1.42 L during the full growing period corresponding to WUE of 91.9 g L−1, which was 13.8% higher than that of green Salanova. At harvest, green Salanova had accumulated more P, K, Ca, Mg and 37.2% more nitrate than red Salanova, which however had higher relative water content, leaf total and osmotic potential and higher SPAD index. Red Salanova also exhibited at harvest around two-fold higher lipophilic antioxidant activity and total phenols, and around six-fold higher total ascorbic acid levels. These latter characteristics improved the antioxidant capacity of red Salanova enabling it to use light more efficiently and deliver better overall performance and yield than green Salanova. Moreover, the higher phenolics and total ascorbic acid contents of red Salanova constitute natural sources of antioxidants for enriching the human diet and render it an optimal candidate cultivar for near-term missions.

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Authors
El-Nakhel, C., Giordano, M., Pannico, A., Carillo, P., Fusco, G. M., De Pascale, S., & Rouphael, Y.
Affiliations
  • Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
  • University of Naples Federico II (IT)
  • University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT)
Corresponding author
Rouphael, Youssef
ORCID
Venue
Life
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2019-07-14
Volume
9
Issue
3
Pages
61
ISSN
2075-1729 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/life9030061
PMC
PMC6789809
OpenAlex
W2959667308
Cited by
42
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 1
FWCI
5.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Life (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (submittedVersion)
  • Padua Research Archive (University of Padova) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
European Space Agency
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Innovations in Aquaponics and Hydroponics Systems
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Plant Growth and Agriculture Techniques
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Growth and nutrition in plants
Keywords
butterhead lettuce, lettuce, cultivar comparison, nutrient film technique, space agriculture, salad crops, water use efficiency, nitrate accumulation, mineral content, antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, vitamin C, postharvest performance

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