Fertilization and Pre-Sowing Seed Soaking Affect Yield and Mineral Nutrients of Ten Microgreen Species
2021
Tongyin Li | Geoffrey T. Lalk | Guihong Bi
Microgreens, vegetable or herb seedlings consumed at a young growth stage, are considered to be a functional food with high concentrations of mineral nutrients and healthy beneficial bioactive compounds. The production of microgreens has been increasing in recent years. Vegetable growers are interested in growing microgreens as a new specialty crop due to their high market value, popularity, and short production cycles. However, there is a lack of research-based crop-specific recommendations for cultural practices including fertilization, pre-sowing seed treatments, and their effects on nutritional facts of microgreens. Ten microgreen species were evaluated for their shoot growth and mineral nutrient concentrations as affected by one-time post-emergence fertilization and pre-sowing seed soaking in two repeated experiments, from November 2018 to January 2019, in a greenhouse. The microgreen species varied in fresh and dry shoot weights, shoot height, visual rating, as well as macro- and micro-nutrient concentrations. Fertilization with a general-purpose soluble fertilizer (20-20-20 with micronutrients) at a rate of 100 mg·L<sup>−1</sup> nitrogen (N) increased fresh shoot weight, and macro- and micro-nutrient concentrations in one or both experiments, with the exception of decreasing concentrations of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn). Seed soaking consistently decreased fresh or dry shoot weight and nutrient concentrations when there was a significant effect.
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