Soilless Production of Lettuce (<i>Lactuca sativa</i>) in the Atacama Desert Using Fog Water: Water Quality and Produce Mineral Composition

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorAlbornoz, Francisco
dc.contributor.authorVilches, Ines
dc.contributor.authordel Rio, Camilo
dc.contributor.authorCarter, Virginia
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-20T16:07:24Z
dc.date.available2025-01-20T16:07:24Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractSoilless vegetable production in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile is spreading since it is perceived as an alternative that requires much less water than open field soil production. However, strong competition between mining and urban use for human population consumption exists, forcing growers to use alternative water sources. Fog is commonly present in the coastal areas of Northern Chile; however, little information exists with regards to its chemical composition and the effect on nutrient quality of the produce. To address this knowledge gap, a set of experiments was carried out in Cha & ntilde;aral, a small town located in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile. There, a 200 m(2) greenhouse equipped with twenty deep flow pools was used in two consecutive growing cycles. Water for the mixing of the nutrient solution was collected from the fog using fog-catchers and later stored in 2000-L tanks. Fog water quality (electrical conductivity, pH and mineral content) was monitored directly from the storage tanks. Two types of lettuce, green butterhead and red oak leaf, were compared on their yield and accumulation of nutrients and heavy metals. The results indicate that fog water is of good quality for soilless production, with an electrical conductivity value of 0.65 +/- 0.18 and low content of heavy metals. Plants' heavy metal accumulation is below the recommendation of Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization. Fog water presents as a viable water source for soilless production in Northern Chile.
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/horticulturae10090957
dc.identifier.eissn2311-7524
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10090957
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/90000
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:001326219200001
dc.issue.numero9
dc.language.isoen
dc.revistaHorticulturae
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectdeep flow system
dc.subjectheavy metals
dc.subjectfood safety
dc.subject.ods02 Zero Hunger
dc.subject.odspa02 Hambre cero
dc.titleSoilless Production of Lettuce (<i>Lactuca sativa</i>) in the Atacama Desert Using Fog Water: Water Quality and Produce Mineral Composition
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen10
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
Files
Collections
Artículos de revistas