The effect of dissolved oxygen on microgreen productivity

Abstract

The effect of oxygen dissolved in water was researched (1.3 mg/l – without saturation, 6.1 mg/l – air saturation, 14.7 mg/l – oxygen saturation) on the microgreen productivity of “Ivolga” variety wheat of and ‘Aida’ variety lentils. It was found that the enrichment of water for seed germination with oxygen stimulates the speedy germination and receipt of wheat and lentils sprouts 1 day faster than in the variant without saturation. An increase in oxygen concentration contributes to the rapid root system growth of the researched cultures, stimulates the formation of 2 order roots, accelerates the development of the overhead plant parts without dry weight loss. On the 7th day of cultivation, the wet weight of wheat increased by 21% in the variant with air saturation and 56% with oxygen saturation, wet weight of lentils – by 57% and 77%, respectively. Both a deficiency and an excess of oxygen in water can adversely affect the content of basic pigments. Therefore, it is necessary to select the species composition of cultures for composing multicomponent mixtures, to obtain higher microgreen quality when grown on oxygen-rich solutions.