Albalasmeh, A.A., Almakhadmeh, A.K., Makhadmeh, I. et al. (2 more authors) (2025) Silicon extends the shelf life of hydroponically grown lettuce. Scientific Reports, 15 (1). 33302. ISSN: 2045-2322
Abstract
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is the most common leafy vegetable consumed by people around the world. In this study, we explored the influence of varying silicon (Si) concentrations (25, 50, 75, and 100 mg L−1) on hydroponically grown lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) concerning growth, shelf life, and nutrient composition. Key metrics included plant growth parameters, shelf-life extension under different storage conditions, and physiological responses. Silicon supplementation at 75 mg L−1 significantly boosted total fresh weight by 17.7% over the control. Storage at 4 °C showed marked shelf-life improvement, with Si concentrations of 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg L−1 enhancing storage longevity by 40%, 40%, 60%, and 80%, respectively. Phosphorus content increased with higher Si, while other nutrients remained unaffected. These results indicate that Si application can enhance post-harvest quality and extend marketability under optimal conditions.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. |
Keywords: | Chlorophyll; Gas exchange; Hydroponic floating system; Lactuca sativa L.; Shelf life |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
Date Deposited: | 29 Sep 2025 14:11 |
Last Modified: | 29 Sep 2025 14:11 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41598-025-08489-y |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:232338 |