Commercial substrates and nutrient concentrations in the production of arugula microgreens

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different substrates and concentrations of nutrient solutions in the production of arugula (Eruca sativa Miller) microgreens grown in a protected environment at the campus of the Faculty of Agronomy of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The treatments consisted of the combination of five commercial substrates, CSC® vermiculite (S1), Green-Up phenolic foam (S2), S10 Beifiur® organic (S3), Carolina Soil® seedlings (S4), and Carolina Soil® organic (S5) and three concentrations of nutrients in the nutrient solution (0, 50, and 100%). A 5x3 factorial arrangement was used, in a completely randomized experimental design with three replicates. The addition of nutrients in the irrigation solution favored substrates S1, S4, and S5. Substrate S2 showed better performance with the addition of 50% of the total concentration of nutrients. Substrate S3 without the addition of the nutrient solution showed average values very close to the use of the nutrient solution, which can be considered in the evaluation of production costs of microgreens, generating savings to producers.