Abstract

Greenhouse farming is an innovative model of agriculture that promotes sustainable production. Advanced greenhouse complexes use hydroponics, which makes it possible to grow vegetables and salads as far north as in Russia’s polar regions and on Sakhalin Island. To improve the yield and quality of lettuce, local farmers need an efficient mineral wool substrate and hydroponics. Biodegradable gels in combination with soil microorganisms are known to stabilize and prolong the effect of organic and mineral complexes. The research featured Aficion green lettuce grown hydroponically in a greenhouse. The control plants were grown in line with the industrial technology, which involved a four-fold weekly foliar treatment with a combination of Ecogel and Agrocen at 0.5 and 0.15%, respectively. The experimental samples were grown on substrate treated with Yunigel Plantum at 0.03 g per pot. The weight of lettuce leaves without roots was determined after cutting; their moisture content was determined after drying to a constant weight. The quality of leaf lettuce was assessed by the content of solids (State Standard GOST 31640-2012), crude protein (GOST 13496.4-2019), and amino acids (M 04-87-2009). The effect of Yunigel Plantum on quality and yield was evaluated by the ripening period, weight, root development, root hair development, moisture content, protein, and amino acids. The study also involved the effect of three different concentrations of humic and fulvic acids (Beres-8) to identify the optimal concentration. Yunigel Plantum_12 increased the yield and growth rate by 20%: as it boosted the root development, the experimental lettuce absorbed nutrients and became rich in essential amino acids. Yunigel Plantum can be recommended for greenhouse lettuce farming since it proved able to increase the yield and improve the nutr itional value of lettuce.

Keywords

Lettuce, biofertilizer, yield, amino acid, composition, hydroponics

REFERENCES

1. Sinegovskaya VT, Sinegovskii MO. Growing soybean plants by hydroponic method. Agricultural Science Euro-North-East. 2023;24(2):194–200. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30766/2072-9081.2023.24.2.194-200
2. Samokhin A, Korel A, Blinova E, Pestov A, Kalmykova G, et al. Delivery of B. subtilis into animal intestine using chitosan-derived bioresorbable gel carrier: Preliminary results. Gels. 2023;9(2):120. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9020120
3. Korel A, Samokhin A, Zemlyakova E, Pestov A, Blinova E, et al. A Carboxyethylchitosan gel cross-linked with glutaraldehyde as a candidate carrier for biomedical applications. Gels. 2023;9(9):756. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9090756
4. Fedorov E, Samokhin A, Kozlova Yu, Kretien S, Sheraliev T, et al. Short-term outcomes of phage-antibiotic combination treatment in adult patients with periprosthetic hip joint infection. Viruses. 2023;15(2):499. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15020499
5. Alexander P, Brown C, Arneth A, Finnigan J, Moran D, et al. Losses, inefficiencies and waste in the global food system. Agricultural Systems. 2017;153:190–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2017.01.014
6. Eliseeva LG, Osman A, Molodkina PG, Belkin YuD, Santuryan TA. Influence of biotechnology of microgreen production in urban-type phytotrons on the content of functional ingredients capable to increase the adaptive immune. Izvestiya vuzov. Food Technology. 2022;(5):28–31. (In Russ.) http://doi.org/10.26297/0579-3009.2022.5.6
7. Zhemyakin SV, Popova DA. Effect of microbiological fertilizer Rizobakt on lettuce plants in greenhouse farming. Food Security Issues (EPFS 2023): Intern. Sci. Pract. Conf. Gorki; 2023. Pt I. pp. 168–173. (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/WALLPT
8. Nardi S, Schiavon M, Francioso O. Chemical structure and biological activity of humic substances define their role as plant growth promoters. Molecules. 2021;26(8):2256. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26082256
9. Yücel-Engindeniz D. Economic analysis of lettuce growing in greenhouse: A case study from türkiye. Journal of Global Agriculture and Ecology. 2025;17(1):1–8. https://doi.org/10.56557/jogae/2025/v17i19039
10. Subedi PP, Walsh KB. Non-invasive techniques for measurement of fresh fruit firmness. Postharvest Biology and Technology. 2009;51(3):297–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2008.03.004
11. Saladié M, Matas AJ, Isaacson T, Jenks MA, Goodwin SM, et al. A reevaluation of the key factors that influence tomato fruit softening and integrity. Plant Physiology. 2007;144(2):1012–1028. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.107.097477
12. Bourne MC. Texture, Viscosity, and Food. In: Bourne MC, editor. Food Texture and Viscosity (Second Edition). Food Science and Technology. Academic Press; 2002. pp. 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012119062-0/50001-2
13. Papafilippaki A, Nikolaidis NP. Comparative study of wild and cultivated populations of Cichorium spinosum: The influence of soil and organic matter addition. Scientia Horticulturae. 2020;261:108942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.108942
14. Shimobayashi M, Hall MN. Making new contacts: The mTOR network in metabolism and signalling crosstalk. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 2014;15(3):155–162. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3757
15. Qi Y, Liu X, Zhang Q, Wu H, Yan D, et al. Carotenoid accumulation and gene expression in fruit skins of three differently colored persimmon cultivars during fruit growth and ripening. Scientia Horticulturae. 2019;248:282–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2018.12.042
16. Hagassou D, Francia E, Ronga D, Buti M. Blossom end-rot in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.): A multi-disciplinary overview of inducing factors and control strategies. Scientia Horticulturae. 2019;249:49–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.01.042
17. Khoso MA, Hussain A, Ritonga FN, Ali Q, Channa MM, et al. WRKY transcription factors (TFs): Molecular switches to regulate drought, temperature, and salinity stresses in plants. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2022;13:1039329. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1039329