Effects of Water and Fertilizer Treatment on Nutrient Uptake and Yield of Chinese Flowering Cabbage under Coconut Chaff Cultivation

Abstract

【Objective】The study aimed to investigate the effects of water and fertilizer on nutrient uptake and yield of Chinese flowering cabbage under coconut chaff cultivation, with a view to providing guidance on water and fertilizer management for Chinese flowering cabbage cultivation.【Method】Adopting greenhouse pot experiment, three irrigation treatments were set for the Chinese flowering cabbage : I1 (55%-60% water holding capacity of the substrate in the pot), I2 (75%-80% water holding capacity of the substrate in the pot), and I3 (95%-100% water holding capacity of the substrate in the pot) and three nutrient solution levels were used: F1 (1/2 Yamazaki nutrient solution formula), F2 (1 Yamazaki nutrient solution formula) and F3 (3/2 Yamazaki nutrient solution formula), and 2 L nutrient solution of different concentrations was applied to the pots as a base fertilizer before the experiment.【Result】Compared with full irrigation treament (I3), water deficit treatments (I1 and I2) increased water use efficiency of Chinese flowering cabbage significantly by 30.2% and 16.3%, respectively, while the yield decreased by 16.7% and 11.1%, respectively. However, the irrigation amount had no significant effect on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) uptake of shoots. The increase of nutrient solution concentration promoted water use efficiency, NPK uptake and yield of Chinese flowering cabbage. Meanwhile, there was a significant interaction between the irrigation treatment and fertilizer treatment on the yield and NPK uptake of the Chinese flowering cabbage. Among all the treatments, I3F3 had the highest yield. Compared with I3F3, I2F3 reduced water consumption by 13.7% and improved water use efficiency by 11.8% without compromising yield and NPK uptake of Chinese flowering cabbage. And the I2F3 treatment had the highest comprehensive PCA score, indicating that I2F3 treatment had the optimal comprehensive effect on nutrient absorption, water use efficiency and yield of Chinese flowering cabbage.【Conclusion】It can be concluded that 75%-80% reduced irrigation combined with 3/2 Yamazaki nutrient solution formula is an effective measure to enhance yield, water use efficiency and nutrient uptake of Chinese flowering cabbage under coconut chaff cultivation.

Keywords

• chinese flowering cabbage
• coconut chaff cultivation
• deficit irrigation
• agronomic character
• nutrient uptake
• water use efficiency
• yield