Chapters authored
Effects of Salinity on Vegetable Growth and Nutrients Uptake
Part of the book: Irrigation Systems and Practices in Challenging Environments
The Influence of Different Substrates on the Growth, Yield and Quality of Slovenian Sweetpotato Cultivars under Greenhouse Conditions
A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the genetic relatedness between three Slovenian sweetpotato cultivars; and to assess the effects of different growing substrates on selected agronomic and nutritional traits. Tubers of three cultivars (‘Lučka’, ‘Janja’ and ‘Martina’) with different skin/flesh color were produced in planters under glasshouse conditions in five different growing substrates (perlite, peat, expanded clay, vermiculite and garden soil) from prior raised seedlings. Genetic analysis was performed using a set of eight SSR markers. According to Nei’s genetic distance and pairwise population Fst analysis, the most related cultivars are ‘Janja’ and ‘Martina’. The following agronomic traits were evaluated: vine length, thickness of vine-base, number of branches, weight of above ground part, number of leaves plant−1, number of tubers plant−1 and tubers weight plant−1. Among nutritional traits, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant potential (AOP) and ascorbic acid content (AA) were determined. Significant interactions of growing substrates (factor A) × cultivar (factor B) were observed for thickness of vine-base, weight of above ground part, AOP, TPC and AA. Overall results show different response of cultivars in different growing substrate. Growing substrate provide a discriminant classification of the sweetpotato cultivars according to their agronomic and nutritional traits.
Part of the book: Vegetables
Urban Horticulture and Its Modernization by Using LED Lightning in Indoors Vegetable Production
Urban horticulture also includes the production of vegetables, mostly leafy vegetables, in high tech protected areas with or without daylight. Vegetable crop growing is a scientific discipline that studies biology and technology in growing vegetable crops in either the open-field and greenhouse environment. The objective is to gain high-yield agricultural crops, good quality edible parts that are safe for human consumption and a minimal environmental pollution. Vegetables are annual, biannual or perennial herbaceous plants that rarely develop a woody stem during its vegetative period, mostly in the lower section of the stem. The vegetable edible parts are rich in water and are used either fresh and raw or processed. Once picked, the edible parts may be stored for a short period of time (several weeks, up to 9 months at the most). The vegetable edible parts are: roots and tubers, stems and stalks, sprouts, bulbs, leaves (cruciferous or headed vegetables), leaf stems, immature flower heads, fruits (mature or immature), and seed (mature or immature). Vegetables could be grown in urban areas, in protected areas with or without daylight. LED lightning represent one of the most important modernizations and implementation of vegetable production in urban areas.
Part of the book: Sustainable Crop Production