Ijaz Yaseen1, Byeong Taek Park1, Tariq Mukhtar2, Beom Seon Lee1*
1Department of Horticulture, Sunchon National University, 255, Jungang-ro, Sunchon-si, Jeollanam-do, 57922, Republic of Korea
2Department of Plant Pathology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
*Corresponding author’s email: bslee@scnu.ac.kr
Received: 25 May 2026 / Revised: 23 September 2026 / Accepted: 03 October 2026 / Published Online: 02 November 2026
Abstract
Electrical conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution is an important factor governing nutrient availability, osmotic conditions, plant growth, and quality in soilless cultivation. This study evaluated the effects of four nutrient-solution EC levels (0.8, 1.2, 1.6, and 2.0 dS m⁻¹) on the growth, biomass accumulation, phenolic and flavonoid contents, radical-scavenging activity, and nutrient-solution dynamics of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Spreng) grown in an aeroponic system. Growth measurements were obtained at 5-day intervals over a 15-day treatment period. Moderate EC levels, particularly 1.2 and 1.6 dS m⁻¹, generally supported greater plant height, leaf production, root development, and shoot and root biomass than the lowest EC. However, responses of total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and radical-scavenging activity were tissue- and assay-dependent rather than uniformly enhanced by a particular EC. Nutrient-solution analyses indicated temporal changes in macro- and micronutrient concentrations, although these observations should be interpreted cautiously because nutrient analyses were based on a single analytical sample and therefore were not suitable for inferential statistical comparison. Overall, the results indicate that an EC range of approximately 1.2–1.6 dS m⁻¹ may provide a suitable starting range for aeroponic production of the tested Chinese chive cultivar under the experimental conditions. Further experiments with independent nutrient-solution replicates, longer production periods, and repeated harvests are required to validate this recommendation.
Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Electrical conductivity, Polyphenol content, Radical scavenging, Total flavonoid content, Aeroponics
