EFFECTS OF WATER LEVELS AND DISSOLVED OXYGEN CONCENTRATION ON THE GROWTH OF CELERY CULTIVATED IN A DFT HYDROPONIC SYSTEM

Abstract

Challenges to growing celery in a deep flow technique (DFT) hydroponic system include uneven plant growth and low yields since celery roots are immersed in a nutrient solution lacking in oxygen content. This experiment examined the effects of water levels and dissolved oxygen concentrations on the growth of celery cultivated in a DFT hydroponic system. Celery seedlings aged 21 days were transplanted to DFT hydroponic trays the water levels and oxygen concentrations of which were adjusted as follows: 8 cm deep water with oxygen produced using one air stone (control), 6 cm deep water with oxygen produced using two air stones, and 10 cm deep water with oxygen produced using two air stones. It was found that the plant heights and the fresh weights of the celery cultivated using the experimental and the control methods were not significantly different. However, the methods involving 6 cm deep water with oxygen produced using two air stones and 10 cm deep water with oxygen produced using two air stones increased the plant height and the fresh weight by 2.91% to 17.47% and 2.69% to 14.89%, respectively. In addition, the former produced the significantly highest dissolved oxygen concentration of 7.17 mg/L, or 36.57% higher than that resulting from the control method, while the latter contributed to the significantly highest root length of 36.41 cm.