Oleafera: Biostimulant for Reducing Chemical Nutrient Solution Reliance in Wick System Cultivation of Lactuca sativa (Lettuce)

Abstract

Botanical extract or plant-derived biostimulant is an emerging agrochemical product that can promote sustainability and productivity in agriculture by reducing the amount of fertilizer or nutrient solution needed to grow plants. Moringa oleifera (malunggay) is recognized as a potential biostimulant mainly because of its benefits and advantages. Previous studies show the positive effects of using malunggay extract biostimulants on the quality, growth, and stress tolerance of plants. However, it is still unclear how this product should be made and applied to maximize its benefits, so it must develop and determine the right formulation and application.

With this experimental-quantitative research, growth and quality-based parameters of lettuce under different setups were measured to compare and determine significant differences using a one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test as a post hoc.

Oleafera application with 10% and 20% reduction in nutrient solution did not meet or maintain the quality of lettuce in the control group, except for the greenness of leaves. Among the two treatments, treatment 2 is more effective, which is a 25 ml application of Oleafera with a 20% reduction in nutrient solution.

It was 69.47% effective in maintaining plant height, 67.02% in growth rate, 98.31% in number of leaves, 58.43% in area of leaves, 55.56% in weight, and showed 33.33% increase in the greenness of leaves