Effect of Cooling Water Temperature on Nutrient Solution Cooling Efficiency and Lettuce Growth in Hydroponic Systems

Document Type : Original Research Papers

Authors

1 Agricultural engineering, faculty of agricultural, Benha university, Egypt

2 Agricultural Engineering, faculty of agricultural, benha university, egypt

10.21608/bjas.2025.372071.1665

Abstract

This study investigates the detailed impact of nutrient solution temperature on the growth performance of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) in a hydroponic NFT system under typical arid climate conditions. A mathematical model was developed to predict the thermal behavior of the nutrient solution based on both environmental variables and reservoir cooling mechanisms. The experiment was conducted in a fan-pad cooled greenhouse located in Safaga, Egypt, using three distinct nutrient solution temperature treatments: 17.4 ± 0.3°C, 20.8 ± 0.2°C, and 26.8 ± 0.4°C. Results showed that the optimal temperature (20.8°C) improved shoot fresh weight (190.2 g/plant), root dry weight (11.4 g/plant), and root-to-shoot ratio compared to the sub-optimal and supra-optimal growth conditions (p < 0.05). The proposed model demonstrated exceptionally high predictive accuracy (R² = 0.94; RMSE = 0.62°C), validating its reliability. These findings strongly support the integration of low-energy cooling strategies in improved nutrient management protocols for large-scale hydroponic systems in extremely hot climates.

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Benha Journal of Applied Sciences
Volume 10, Issue 6 - Serial Number 6
Applied Agriculture Sciences
June 2025
Pages 51-59

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