Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXV, Issue 1
Written by Milena YORDANOVA, Vera PETROVA, Dimitar KIRILOV
The aim of this study was to test different coverings used on low tunnels during the cultivation of lettuce for the winter-spring production, and to compare the results with those obtained in high tunnels. The experiment was conducted in the period 2019-2020 in the experimental field of the University of Forestry - Sofia (42°7′ N, 23°43′ East). There were selected 3 varieties (2 of Batavia and 1 of Romana) with different requirements for the terms and conditions of cultivation. For the purpose of the study, lettuces were planted in parallel in a high tunnel and in low tunnels with two different coverings - non-woven fabric (geotextile) and green polyethylene. Planting was done simultaneously during the second ten days of November (12.11.19) by the block method with four replications. Immediately after planting outdoors, low tunnels were placed over the bed. During the harvest (April) biometric measurements were made and reporting of quality indicators - dry matter content and nitrates. In low tunnels, the plants have more sugar and dry matter under the green polyethylene coating than the geotextile coating. Both varieties of lettuce grow better under a cover of green polyethylene, while lettuce has better performance when covered with geotextile.
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