Performance of Broccoli under Conventional Soil, Soilless Media and Hydroponic Cultivation: A Comparative Study on Yield Parameters

Abstract

Broccoli is a nutritionally important cool-season vegetable whose growth and yield may vary under different cultivation systems. This study evaluated the performance of broccoli under conventional soil, soilless media and hydroponic cultivation with respect to selected yield parameters. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm, Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Malla Reddy University, Hyderabad, during 2024–2025. Six treatments were compared: tower model hydroponics, nutrient film technique hydroponics, sand, growing media, farmyard manure and soil. The trial was laid out in a randomised block design with four replications. The cultivation system influenced days to head initiation, days to head maturity and yield-related traits. Nutrient film technique hydroponics produced the earliest head initiation (42.75 days), followed by tower model hydroponics (46.75 days), whereas soil required the longest duration (55.46 days). A similar pattern was recorded for head maturity; nutrient film technique hydroponics matured earliest (66.75 days), while soil matured latest (88.00 days). Growing media recorded the highest head weight, head diameter, stalk length and stalk diameter, with values of 543.00 g, 13.49 cm, 6.96 cm and 5.60 cm, respectively. Sand recorded the lowest values for these traits, with 275.25 g, 10.65 cm, 5.16 cm and 4.50 cm, respectively. The findings indicate that nutrient film technique hydroponics promoted earlier crop development, whereas growing media supported superior yield attributes under the conditions of this study.