Growth and Yield Responses of Pot-Grown Long Bean and Luffa to Nitrogen Rates

Yanlin Wang, Gabriel Maltais-Landry, Bala Rathinasabapathi, Steven A. Sargent and Guodong Liu
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Yanlin Wang: Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida/IFAS, 2550 Hull Road, P.O. Box 110690, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Gabriel Maltais-Landry: Soil and Water Sciences Department, University of Florida/IFAS, McCarty Hall A, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Bala Rathinasabapathi: Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida/IFAS, 2550 Hull Road, P.O. Box 110690, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Steven A. Sargent: Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida/IFAS, 2550 Hull Road, P.O. Box 110690, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Guodong Liu: Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida/IFAS, 2550 Hull Road, P.O. Box 110690, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-11

Abstract: Optimizing nitrogen (N) input rates for vegetable production is crucial in Florida to reducing production costs and enhancing environmental sustainability. Asian vegetables emerging and expanding in Florida not only increase profit for growers, but also enhance food diversity for consumers. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the partitioning and usage of N and carbohydrates in two Asian vegetable crops: long bean ( Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc.) and angled luffa ( Luffa acutangular (L.) Roxb.). Four N rates (0, 0.91, 1.36, and 1.81 g N pot −1 ) were compared in a high tunnel trial to understand the influence of N fertilization on the two crops. For long bean, plant biomass was highest at the highest N input, and N-fertilized plants had significantly higher leaf greenness than the control at the flower initiation and mid-reproductive stages. However, N inputs had no apparent effect on yield, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), blade total N concentration, roots (length, volume, dry biomass, and root-to-shoot ratio), or nodules (number plant −1 and biomass). For luffa, the highest N input had significantly greater total yield, fruit number, and leaf greenness at the flower initiation and mid-reproductive stages, although there was no significant difference in shoot biomass, blade total N content, or NUE among treatments. Within the range of these N rates, our results suggest that higher N inputs promoted vegetative growth of long bean, whereas reproductive growth was promoted in luffa. This study highlights differences in the sink–source relationship of N for long bean and luffa production in high tunnel, which can guide N input decisions for these two crops that are rapidly expanding in the USA.

Keywords: ammonium nitrate; high tunnel; Luffa acutangular; nodule; source partition; Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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