The objectives of this work were to compare lettuce yield under different nutrient replacement methods. The experiment was carried out in a plastic greenhouse of the "Universidade Federal de Santa Maria", RS, Brazil, from August to November, 1999. The experimental design was a factorial 5x2 in random blocks with three repetitions. Five kinds of nutrient replacement were evaluated based on electrical conductivity (EC) in the nutrient film technique. Two lettuce cultivars, Regina and Deisy, were grown on benches of asbestos cement tiles. Nutrient solution replacement every season did not provide higher productivity than nutrient solution reuse. Nutrient replacement methods of 0,25mS cm-1 EC and decrease of 50% EC permitted to reuse the same nutrient solution for three grown seasons, especially in fresh weight. There was no interaction between cultivars and replacement methods. Regina showed higher number of leaves than Deisy.
Lactuca sativa; NFT system; electrical conductivity; yield
