• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.38-44
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• 2005

In addition to the variation in nitrate accumulation of vegetables due to environmental conditions, there is also a distinct genetic variation. The variation of nitrate accumulation in some cultivars of lettuce and spinach commonly cultivated in Korea was investigated. Ten cultivars for both lettuce and spinach were grown in plastic containers filled with a 1:1 mixture of perlite and vermiculite with application of Hoagland No. 2 nutrient solution of high nitrate content (17.3 mM N) in a greenhouse condition. Plants were harvested four weeks after transplanting four-leaf stage seedlings. Plant growth was measured by fresh and dry matter of shoot, and contents of nitrate and other inorganic ions and organic solutes including sugar, amino acids and organic acids were measured. Large and significant genotypical variations in the nitrate content of the plants were found for both lettuce and spinach, and high negative correlations between nitrate content and fresh or dry weight were found in lettuce and spinach. Variation in nitrate accumulation of lettuce and spinach cultivars was not directly related to the differences in contents of organic and inorganic solutes, and this result indicates that photosynthesis and osmotic regulation are not directly related with the nitrate accumulation. Considering the correlations between nitrate content and plant growth of this study, it can be simply suggested that different cultivars of lettuce and spinach have their own inherited growth and physiological characteristics and also optimum nitrogen level required for the growth. Therefore when available nitrogen in root media is higher than the optimum level required for the inherited growth potential, some of the excess nitrate supplied can be accumulated in plants.