Effects of nitrogen availability and supplementary light on the nitrate content of soil-grown lettuce

The effect of nitrogen availability and low level supplementary light on the growth and nitrate content of butterhead lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata L.) grown in soil under greenhouse conditions in winter was studied. No significant interactions between nitrogen availability and supplementary light on yield, nitrate content, osmotic potential of expressed leaf sap and component osmotica were found. Supplementary light greatly increased plant growth and resulted in earlier harvest. When harvested with similar fresh weights, plant nitrate content was significantly reduced by supplementary light although the effect was slight. The reduced contribution of nitrate to sap osmotic potential at the higher light level was accompanied by a significant increase in the contribution of sucrose. While plant fresh weight was unaffected by the rate of nitrogen application, a positive correlation between nitrate content and nitrogen application rate was found. Reduced nitrate content at low nitrogen application rates was accompanied by increased contributions of chloride, glucose and sucrose to sap osmotic potential.