Effect of Soil Salinity on Nitrate Accumulation of Lettuce

토양 염류집적이 상추의 Nitrate 축적에 미치는 영향

  • Jin, Sun-Jae (Division of Life and Environmental Science, Daegu University) ;
  • Cho, Hyun-Jong (Division of Life and Environmental Science, Daegu University) ;
  • Chung, Jong-Bae (Division of Life and Environmental Science, Daegu University)
  • 진선재 (대구대학교 생명환경학부) ;
  • 조현종 (대구대학교 생명환경학부) ;
  • 정종배 (대구대학교 생명환경학부)
  • Received : 2004.03.15
  • Accepted : 2004.03.31
  • Published : 2004.04.30

Abstract

Accumulation of nitrate in edible crops is undesirable due to potential risks to human health. Since nitrate has a role in the osmotic regulation of plants, salt accumulation in soil is expected to stimulate nitrate accumulation in plants. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) was grown in soils of different salinities, 9.69 and $4.49dS\;m^{-1}$, in a greenhouse, and the effect of soil salinity on nitrate accumulation in lettuce was investigated. Content of nitrate in the lettuce increased significantly as soil salinity increased under low light intensity and ample supply of nitrate in root media. Soluble sugar and oxalate contents in lettuce were also significantly higher in the soil of higher salinity. Phosphate, Cl, and $SO_4$ contents in lettuce were not significantly different in soils of different salinities. Among the cations, K content in lettuce was significantly higher in the soil of higher salinity, but Na, Ca, and Mg comtents were not much influenced. Comparing to the lettuce grown in low salinity soil, although the growth of lettuce was decreased by 9% in the soil of higher salinity, nitrate accumulation in the lettuce was increased by 18.6%. These results indicate that higher nitrate content in lettuce of higher salinity soil is a positive accumulation to adapt to the water stress condition. The nitrate accumulation of vegetables grown in plastic film houses is known to be due to the heavy fertilization and low light intensity, but salt accumulation in the soil, which can lower soil water potential, is expected to stimulate the nitrate accumulation further.

집약적인 시설재배 농업에서 화학비료와 퇴비의 연용과 과다한 사용은 용탈현상이 제한되어 있는 시설재배 토양의 염류집적현상을 쉽게 유발시키고 있다. 토양중의 염류집적에 따른 수분 흡수의 어려움을 극복하기 위하여 식물은 여러 가지의 무기 및 유기용질을 체내에 축적하는데, 특히 토양 중에 그 함량이 높아 쉽게 이용할 수 있는 $NO_3$를 삼투압 조절물질로 흡수 축적하는 것으로 결론지을 수 있다. 안전농산물의 생산 측면에서 특히 시설재배 신선야채류의 $NO_3$ 축적을 줄이기 위한 노력이 요구되고 있으며, 이를 이해서는 과다한 시비의 지양과 광조건의 개선이 필요하며 이에 더하여 토양 염류집적을 줄일 수 있는 토양 관리 및 시비 방법들이 심각하게 고려되어야 할 것이다.

Keywords

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