| dc.description.abstract | This research was carried out on a 100 m2 plot, located in the San Bartolomé parish, Sigsig
canton, Azuay province, Ecuador. The objective was to identify the cultivation system
(conventional or semi-hydroponic) that best favors the growth and vegetative development of
the Castilla blackberry, and to characterize the nutrient content in the leaves under the two
systems. A two-month-old crop planted in two systems was used: a conventional cultivation
in soil with edaphic fertilization and drip irrigation, and a semi-hydroponic substrate in 70%
rice husk and 30% river sand with nutrient solution. With a completely randomized design and
eight repetitions, stem length and width, number of leaves per stem, number of basal and
secondary shoots, and foliar concentration of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S were measured. The results
did not present significant differences between the number of leaves and the stem length,
however, the semi-hydroponic system presented a significant growth in stem diameter, as well
as the number of basal and secondary shoots per stem. On the other hand, the two systems
appeared very similar nutrient concentrations at the foliar level, remaining within the
recommended ranges, except for nitrogen, which is in an excessive range in the conventional
system, and phosphorus, which is found in insufficient concentrations in the two systems. | |
