Evaluación del rendimiento de lechuga crespa (Lactuca sativa L.) var. Batavia, en dos tipos de invernaderos, parroquia Calpi, cantón Riobamba, provincia de Chimborazo.

Abstract

The objective of this research work was to evaluate the yield of crisp lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) var. Batavia in two types of greenhouses in the Calpi parish, Riobamba canton, Chimborazo province. It was evaluated the agronomic variables of 100 randomly sampled plants in the two types of heated and traditional greenhouses, phenological stages, percentage of survival, plant height, number of leaves, and presence of pests or diseases, the data were taken every 8 and 15 days after the last data were taken and were subjected to respective tests to obtain the percentage of dry matter, yield, and relative water content. It was interpreted how temperature, relative humidity, and soil moisture influenced the yield and agronomic behavior of the crop using appropriate equipment. Finally, the economic analysis was carried out through the cost-benefit ratio of each treatment. The data collected were subjected to a Student's T-test at 5% to determine if there were significant figures or differences between the means of the two conditions. The best results were obtained in the climate-controlled greenhouse crop from the beginning of its phenological stages, completing its cycle in 43 days compared to the traditional one which was completed in 48 days, with an average height and number of leaves of 22.71 cm with 21 units, a percentage of dry matter of 29.87%, giving a yield of 29.18 t/ha, the relative water content of 70.04%, and finally a benefit/cost ratio of 1.19 dollars with a profitability of 19%. It was concluded that the climate-controlled greenhouse, being automated, obtained better agronomic variables with a higher yield. It is recommended to choose the correct crop adapting to the ranges of temperature, relative humidity, etc. that occur within the structures.