Impact of Structured Water on Yielding and Quality of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa L.) Growth Using Hydroponic System

In this vegetative experiment a butter head lettuce was grown in plastic tunnel using hydroponic system. Nutrient solution was prepared with the use of two types of water for fertigation - tap water (control) and structured water. The use of structured water contributed to a significant increase in the marketable yield of lettuce compared to tap water This yield was higher average by 6.7%. Moreover, lettuce watered with structured water contained more photosynthetic pigments and two times more carotenoids compared to the control one. The vitamin C contained within lettuce leaves was higher when nutrient solution consisted of tap water – 28.45 mg∙100 g-1 f.m., while nitrates contents were lower using structured water – 895.5 mg NO3-∙kg-1 f.m. The lettuce leaves grown on the nutrient solution from the tap water contained significantly more calcium, iron and boron while on the structured water it contained more potassium, manganese and copper. The differences in the content of other mineral nutrients were statistically insignificant. The research confirmed the beneficial effect of structured water on the yield and the quality of butter head lettuce and revealed the possibility of using it for growing plants.