reported that culturing Cryptocoryne balansae at an EC
level of 0.5 mS/cm using the DFT provided the highest overall
production and Barclaya longifolia can grow well at an EC level of
0.75 mS/cm . Some other aquatic plants, however,
have been reported to require more nutrients, such as Echinodorus
africanus, which requires an EC level of 2.0 mS/cm .
The nutrient requirement of plants depends on many factors and
variability exists among genera, species and even ages. In the current
trial, the most suitable nutrient solution that was tested for
P. helferi growth in a hydroponics system was found to be at an EC
level of 1.6 mS/cm, which provided the best growth for a 10 wk
culture period. The plants were observed to grow well, with height
(±SE) increasing to be 7.47 ± 0.44 cm taller than the plants of the
other treatments and the average number of shoots (±SE) increased
to 5.45 ± 0.47. However, the differing ECs did not significantly affect
the diameter of the shrubs.