Functional growth analysis, biomass accumulation and dry matter translocation of eight greenhouse grown vegetables

Harold Barrientos Llanos; Carmen R. Del Castillo Gutiérrez; Magali García Cárdenas

Abstract

With the objective of analyzing the functional growth of eight vegetables in an organic production system, the present experiment was carried out in a greenhouse in the Pampahasi area of ​​the city of La Paz. The research lasted 6 months (January to June 2014) at 3838 masl. The vegetables studied since the sowing were the chard, beet, onion, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, tomato and carrot. A single substrate composed of peat, black soil, fine sand and black soil with sheep manure, fertilized with earthworm humus was used. The results indicate that each vegetable differs in growth due to the differentiated assimilation of nutrients. The photosynthetic efficiency is a result of leaf area, total biomass and dry biomass accumulated at 120 days. The most important rates obtained were the Net Assimilation Rate (ANT), which explains the assimilation of dry matter and the average photosynthetic efficiency per unit of effective leaf area. The maximum values ​​of TAN obtained were: chard 0.112 g. cm^-2d^-1, beige with 0.179 g. cm^-2d^-1, onion with 0.012 g. cm^-2d^-1, spinach with 0.159 g. cm^-2day^-1, lettuce 0.254 g. cm^-2d^-1, cucumber with 0.198 g. cm^-2d^-1, tomato with 0.171 g. cm^-2d^-1 and carrot with 0.094 g. cm^-2d^-1. The other rate evaluated was the Relative Growth Rate (TRC), which is an index that expresses the growth of a crop in terms of efficiency as a producer of new material depending on total photosynthesis and respiration. The values ​​obtained for this rate correspond to 0.293gg day^-1 beet, 0.272 g day^-1 beet, 0.253 g.g day^-1 onion, 0.448 gg day^-1 spinach, 0.313 g.g day^-1 lettuce, cucumber With 0.102 g.g day^-1, tomato with 0.152 g.g day^-1 and carrot with 0.256 g.g day ^-1.