Scientific Papers Series B Horticulture

Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture. Vol. LVII, 2013Print ISSN 2285-5653, CD-ROM ISSN 2285-5661, Online ISSN 2286-1580, ISSN-L 2285-5653RESULTS CONCERNING THE EFFECT OF FOLIAR FERTILIZERSAND GROWTH PROMOTERS TREATMENTS ON PRODUCTIONAND QUALITY OF LETTUCE CULTIVATED IN PLASTIC TUNNELSJeni Gianina VOICU (SIMION)University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Marasti Avenue,postcode 011464, Bucharest, RomaniaAbstractCorresponding author email: gianina.simion@yahoo.comThe work presents results obtained in protected crops of lettuce under different treatments with growth promoter P& Rand foliar fertilizers Agriphyte and Folimax, which are cultivated in high tunnels in southern area of Romania. It weretaken in experience three varieties of lettuce: May King, Great Lakes 118 and Lollo Rossa. These treatments showspositive influence on the production and quality of lettuce. Reffer to production the best variant was in the case of thevariety May King which was treated with foliar fertilizer Agriphyte (175 g/ head, 28 t/ha). At the other two varieties thebest results was obtained at variants treated with foliar fertilizer Folimax. The laboratory analyses shows that thenitrate content of leaves was clearly under the maximum admissible level (2000-3000 ppm) and depends by variety andvariant. The content of vitamin C was positively influenced by the treatments, especially by the ecological growthpromoter P& R.Key words: Agriphyte, Folimax, P&R, quality, production.INTRODUCTIONas following: 100 g of lettuce contains 43 mgCa, 32 mg P, 0.3 mg Fe, 350 mg K, 15 mgThe lettuce is cultivated regularly at early invitamin E, 4.2 mg vitamin A, 0.07 mg vitaminspring and in autumn late like successiveBcultures. This system of culture assure the 1 , 0.08 mg vitamin B 2 , 0.5 mg vitamin PP. Itcontains also in this quantity of leaves 0.1%needs of vegetables in these periods of the year,sugar, 1.4% proteins, 0.5% cellulose. Lettuce iscreates the possibility to use more intensive thea good vegetable for remineralization, cleanserconstructions and assure more benefits tosedative, emollient. Its energetic value is of 16producers. Short vegetation period and reducedcalories. Lettuce juice has very good propertiesheight of plants recommended lettuce like abecause of the high content in magnesium andvery good associated culture (Ciofu et al.,iron. This species was cultivated long time ago.2004).Egiptians, Greeks and Romans cultivate lettuceThe advantages of this system of culture are theon large surfaces and appreciated this culturefollowing: possibility of obtaining of very earlylike a very valuable vegetable. In present,and early productions, possibility of obtaininglettuce is spread on all continents, on largegood harvest long time during the year, goodareas, especially in the countries from Westernquality of the products, obtaining of bigEurope, in USA and Japan. In the US, forproduction/ha, avoiding of apparition ofexample, this culture occupies over 100,000 haweather accidents.and the consumption/inhabitant reached 10Lettuce is cultivated for its heads, which arekg/year. In our country, lettuce is grown both inconsumed mostly fresh like salads.pure culture and in the system of associated andIn recent times because of orientation of thesuccessive culture, in all counties andpopulation to a nutrition regime more close toespecially around big cities and industrialnature, lettuce has begun one of the mostlycenters, occupying 14,000-15,000 ha annually.consumed vegetable (Ciofu et al., 2004, IndreaDifferent authors recommended forand Apahidean, 1997). It has nutritionalprolongation of preservation of lettuce a bigimportance because of the high content ofnumber of products. Relatively recent wasvitamins, mineral salts and nutritive substancesdiscovered many regulators of growth and137