OBTAINING MINITUBERS BY APPLYING HYDROPONIC CULTURE

Hydroponics growing method has proven to be a very successful strategy for the production of pre-base seed potatoes. NLRDPSB Brasov applied this method in 2016, by using two types of culture: with circulating nutrient solution and with static layer of nutrient solution and for both cases the substrate used was perlite. As biological material plantlets of four cultivars (Brasovia, Castrum, Marvis and Sarmis) were used and grown hydroponically in a space "insect-proof" under controlled conditions. The number of minitubers/plant and weight of minitubers/plant were compared for the used cultivars. By using circulating nutrient solution in hydroponic system, Marvis variety (13.80 minitubers/plant) and Castrum variety (11 minitubers/plant) were the best performing of the four cultivars. The hydroponic system with circulating nutrient solution had a positive impact on the mean weight of minitubers/plant, with Marvis variety, recording the highest value (121.6 g).