Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 2
Written by Lorena-Diana POPA, Marian BURDUCEA, Gheorghe MATEI, Gabriel-Ciprian TELIBAN, Alexandra-Andreea BUBURUZ, Simona-Florina ISTICIOAIA, Alexandra LEONTE, Paula-Lucelia PINTILIE, Denisia-Mihaela IACOBUȚ, Cosmin Alexandru MURARU, Nicolae-Valentin VLĂDUȚ, Vasile STOLERU, Ioana BUȚERCHI
Microgreens are a sustainable and innovative food source, highly valued for their nutritional content, short cultivation time, and potential to address global food security challenges. The experiment was conducted in 2024 in a controlled environment growth chamber using monoecious hemp seeds. It evaluated the effects of three substrates (perlite, peat and vermicompost) and two types of watering (distilled water and water from a recirculating aquaculture system – RAS water) on the biometric traits, yield, and nutritional quality of hemp microgreens. The results showed that the Peat x RAS water variant produced the highest fresh matter yield (12.75 g/100 cm²) and the largest leaf area index (LAI – 332.25 cm²/100 cm²), as well as the highest protein content (23.72%). The Vermicompost x distilled water combination resulted in the highest total fiber content (18.62%), while the Perlite x distilled water variant had the highest content of total soluble solids (7.2°BX). These findings highlight the essential role of substrate and watering in optimizing biometry, yield, and nutritional properties, further establishing hemp microgreens as a sustainable and innovative choice for modern diets.
[Read full article] {simplepopup link="Citation125"}[Citation]
{/simplepopup}
{simplepopup popup="false" name="Citation125"}POPA L.D., BURDUCEA M., MATEI G., TELIBAN G.C., BUBURUZ A.A., ISTICIOAIA S.F., LEONTE A., PINTILIE P.L., IACOBUT D.M., MURARU C.A., VLADUT N.V., STOLERU V., BUTERCHI I. 2025, PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY OF HEMP MICROGREENS UNDER SUBSTRATE AND WATERING CONDITIONS . Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 2, ISSN 2285-5785, 1044-1055. {/simplepopup}