Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Growth and Yield Using the Nutrient Film Technique

Peanut plants, cvs 'Georgia Red' (GARBO) andNew Improved Spanish (NISP), were grown in polyvinyl chloride (PVC-I) trays using the nutrient film technique to study pod and seed yield for NASA's Advanced Life Support (ALS) program. Four 14-day-old seedlings each of both genotypes were transplanted into each of two growth trays (0.15 x 0.15 x 1.2 m), allotting 0.045 m2 per plant for growth. Plants were grown in reach-in growth chambers with a diurnal temperature of28/22°C, relative hwnidity of70 +5%, 12/12 h photoperiod, irradiance at canopy Icvel of 600 ?mol m-2 s-I, and a C02 concentration of 700 ?mol mol-L A modified half Hoagland nutrient solution was used. Solution pH was adjusted manually and ranged between 6.4 and 6.7, by additions of 1M NaOIl or HCI. Solution electrical conductivity (EC) ranged between 1100 and 1200 ?S em-I. All plants were harvested after 120 days. Total mean plant fresh weight was 546.5 g and 769.0 g per tray, respectively, for Georgia Red and New Improved Spanish. The total number ofpods and pod fresh weight per tray averaged 152 and 190 g forGR and 138 and 154 g for NISP, while seed dry mass averaged 70 g and 81 gper tray, respectively, for GAREO and NIS. The harvest index was 0.39 for GR and 0.36 for NISP. Seed yield was equivalent to or exceeded that of field-grown peanuts. Generally, the proximate nutrient composition was similar to that of field-grown peanuts. The results demonstrate that the nutrient film technique CBLn be used for peanut production with acceptable yields.