Introduction
Intensive crop production including vegetables by using inorganic fertilizers has led to increased yield at the expense of product quality and environmental degradation. Rational use of N fertilizers in vegetable production systems to maintain sustainable yield and to minimize the health risk associated with excessive accumulation of nitrate is of critical importance. The use of organic farming with organic amendments to soil as nutrient inputs is increasing and it is an alternative agricultural practice for sustaining economically viable crop production with minimal environmental pollution 1. Vermicomposts are products of a non- thermophilic biodegradation of organic materials through interactions between earthworms and microorganisms 2. They are materials characterized by high porosity, aeration, drainage, water holding capacity and microbial activity 3. The application of vermicompost to soil is considered as a good management practice in any agricultural production system because of the stimulation of soil microbial growth and activity, subsequent mineralization of plant nutrients, and increased soil fertility and quality 4, 5. Plants fertilized with vermicompost have shown greater ability to assimilate essential macro and micro nutrients, and resulted in improved root development 2, 4, 6, 7. The presence of plant growth- influencing substances, such as plant growth hormones and humic acids has also been suggested as a possible factor contributing to increased plant growth and yields 8, 9. Lettuce, a vegetable of great consumption in Greece can be produced under different temperature ranges, which allows it to be marketed throughout the year. Accumulation of nitrate in lettuce has been affected by the soil texture and the source of N fertilizer 10, the timing of fertilizer-N release 11, the light intensity and duration 12, crop season13 and lettuce type and cultivar 14, 15.
แนะนำIntensive crop production including vegetables by using inorganic fertilizers has led to increased yield at the expense of product quality and environmental degradation. Rational use of N fertilizers in vegetable production systems to maintain sustainable yield and to minimize the health risk associated with excessive accumulation of nitrate is of critical importance. The use of organic farming with organic amendments to soil as nutrient inputs is increasing and it is an alternative agricultural practice for sustaining economically viable crop production with minimal environmental pollution 1. Vermicomposts are products of a non- thermophilic biodegradation of organic materials through interactions between earthworms and microorganisms 2. They are materials characterized by high porosity, aeration, drainage, water holding capacity and microbial activity 3. The application of vermicompost to soil is considered as a good management practice in any agricultural production system because of the stimulation of soil microbial growth and activity, subsequent mineralization of plant nutrients, and increased soil fertility and quality 4, 5. Plants fertilized with vermicompost have shown greater ability to assimilate essential macro and micro nutrients, and resulted in improved root development 2, 4, 6, 7. The presence of plant growth- influencing substances, such as plant growth hormones and humic acids has also been suggested as a possible factor contributing to increased plant growth and yields 8, 9. Lettuce, a vegetable of great consumption in Greece can be produced under different temperature ranges, which allows it to be marketed throughout the year. Accumulation of nitrate in lettuce has been affected by the soil texture and the source of N fertilizer 10, the timing of fertilizer-N release 11, the light intensity and duration 12, crop season13 and lettuce type and cultivar 14, 15.
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