Comparative evaluation of lettuce varieties in NFT hydroponics: Germination, growth, and yield characteristics

This study was conducted to determine the growth and yield performance of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) with varying levels of compost. Hydroponics, a soilless cultivation system, gaining interest as it reduces the dependency on agricultural land, and pesticides, and can be implemented in areas with poor soil quality, thus mitigating the negative effects of extreme weather events. This study was conducted at Delhi NCR region with complete randomized Design (CRD) under NFT hydroponic system for a single factor experiment with three (3) different lettuce varieties and three (3) replications. These are as follows: T1 (Romaine), T2 (Lolla Rosso) and T3 (Batavia). Results showed that no difference in terms of germination percentage but the plant height (cm), number of leaves, leaf width (cm) and leaf weight (g) showed significant difference among different varieties. Batavia variety showed maximum yield while width of leaf at the final stage was higher with Romaine.