Impact of different ratios of fish tonic and Albert solution on growth, yield and quality performance of lettuce (<em>Lactuca sativa</em> L)

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the most important leafy vegetable crops in the world. Production of quality lettuce is a major concern nowadays because it is consumed as raw fresh vegetables. There is a need to introduce an organic alternative to the Albert solution for cost-effective, high-quality lettuce production, and fish tonic presents a suitable low-cost option enriched with essential nutrients. This study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of different ratios of fish tonic and albert’s solution on growth, yield and quality performance of lettuce. The experiments were conducted in Complete Randomized Design with three replicates. There were five different treatments; 100% Albert’s solution (Control 2 g/l of water) (T1), 75 % Albert’s solution + 25 % fish tonic (T2), 50 % Albert’s solution + 50 % fish Tonic (T3), 25 % Albert’s solution + 75 % fish tonic (T4) and T5 – 100 % fish tonic (T5) (100 ml/16 l of water), and they were used in a non-circulating hydroponic system in a net house. Plant growth parameters (plant height, number of leaves and diameter of plant canopy), quality parameter (chlorophyll content) and yield parameter (fresh weight of shoot) were recorded. The data was subjected to ANOVA using SAS statistical software. Duncan’s Multiple Range Test was performed to find the best treatment. The highest plant height and number of leaves were observed in T2, and the highest canopy diameter and chlorophyll content were observed in T3 and the lowest was observed in T5. In yield parameter, the highest shoot weight was observed in T3 (42.13 g/ plant), and the lowest shoot weight was observed at T5 (6.79 g/ plant). It can be concluded that T3 is an ideal nutrient solution combination for quality lettuce production in terms of yield and quality under a non-circulating hydroponic system in net house followed by 75 % albert +25 % fish tonic (T2).