Effect Of Aeroponics On The Growth, Yield And Quality Of Plantago Asiatica

ObjectiveAeroponic cultivation is a kind of soilless cultivation. Many studies investigating aeroponic cultivation can shorten time to maturity, produce high quantity and improve quality. It has been widely used in vegetable and medicinal plant research and production, modern agriculture tourism and exhibition etc. Studies about aeroponic cultivation of medicinal plants have been rarely reported in China, The growth and quality of medicinal herb Plantago asiatica in aeroponics were studied in this paper. The objeetive of the current study was to determine the applicability of aeroponic technology for the cultivation of the traditional herba medicinal plant P. Asiatica; and to select appropriate nutrient formulation, vestigate the effect of nitrogen and potassium nutrient supply on the growth, yield and the contents of medicinal composition of P. Asiatica.MethodsThe growth and quality of medicinal herb P. asiatica in aeroponics were studied using 1/2 Japanese style garden formulation with soil cultivation as control. The effects of different nitrogen levels(8 and 16 mmol/L) and potassium levels (4,8 and 12 mmol/L) on the growth of growth and yield, medicinal quality of P. Asiatica. Were studied.ResultsThe results showed that the growth rate of P. asiatica in areroponics was superior than in soil, the growth period was shorted by 82 days than in soil control. And plant height, leaf area, root volume and dry weight significently increased by 10.4%,148.3%,218.0% and 250.3% respectively. The contents of soluble protein, vitamin C and soluble sugar of P. asiatica in aeroponics were 1.07,1.41 and 1.31 times as the soil control. However, there were reduction in the contents of total flavonoids, polysaccharides and plantamajoside compared with soil culture.Impact of different nitrogen and potassium levels on aeroponics of P. asiatica was significant, reaching the greatest yeild and the largest medical contents were not the same level of nitrogen and potassium. With higher levels of nitrogen (16 mmol/L), moderate levels of potassium (8 mmol/L) treatment P. asiatica get the largest yeild, plant height, leaf area, root volume and the activity of root reached the highest value. With lower levels of nitrogen (8 mmol/L), the higher potassium levels (12 mmol/L) nutritional conditions, the contents of polysaccharides and flavonoids reached the highest amount; with low levels of nitrogen and medium potassium (8 mmol/L) treatment plantamajoside got the highest contents.ConelusionThe results suggested that aeroponics system could be an alternative production system for medicinal plant, which could shorten the growth period, improve yield and edible nutrition quality, but the contents of medicinal composition decreased. Formulation with a high nitrogen level and medium potassium is good for the growth of P. Asiatica. Formulation with a low nitrogen level is good for synthesis and accumulation of active ingredients. Different structment of requirement of potassium for Different structment secondary metabolites accumulation is different, medium potassium levels conducive to the accumulation of Plantamajoside, higher levels of potassium conducive to the accumulation of polysaccharides and flavonoids.