Performance Of Different Bio Stimulants On Growth And Yield Of Three Varieties Of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa)

Abstract

The excessive use of synthetic fertilizers can reduce the nutritional intake of crops and limit plant growth and development. Hence, a study was conducted to assess the impact of different biostimulants on the growth of three varieties of lettuces. The experiment consisted of three types of lettuce (Eden, Omega, and Great Lakes), two types of biostimulants (seaweed with humic and fulvic acid concentration), and a control group. The results showed that applying biostimulants significantly improved growth parameters and dry matter accumulation. The use of fulvic acid with humic acid (FH) and seaweed with humic (SH) significantly enhanced the number of leaves, leaf length, canopy spread, fresh and dry shoot weight, and fresh and dry root weight, compared to the control group. Among all the growth parameters, seaweed with humic produced the highest mean value. The Eden variety had the highest mean value for the number of leaves (11.29), leaf length (8.30), canopy spread (16.26), and dry matter accumulation (4.92), while the Great Lakes had the lowest (0.13). The study revealed that the interaction between the Eden variety and seaweed with humic produced the highest dry matter accumulation, whereas the interaction between the Great Lakes and the control group was the lowest. Regarding the growth parameters, the interaction between the Omega variety and seaweed with humic produced the highest leaf length and canopy, while the interaction between the Eden variety and seaweed with humic produced the highest number of leaves. Therefore, planting the Eden variety of lettuce and applying seaweed with humic biostimulant is a sustainable practice for lettuce production in the Asante Mampong Municipality