Abstract

Non-woven agrotextile coverings accelerate the growth and development of vegetable crops, as well as their nutritional value. The spectral composition of the absorbed, reflected and transmitted radiation depends on the colour of the nonwoven covering material. This study was conducted during 2018 at the Federal Scientific Vegetable Center, Moscow region to evaluate the effectiveness of various mulching materials. The nonwoven AgrotexTM mulching materials used were: white (W30), foil-clad (F), white-red (WR30), red-yellow (RY40) and yellow (Y20). The research was carried out on the Gourmet variety of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). The germination rate, productivity and accumulation of biologically active substances of lettuce depending on the type of covering material were determined. The total carotenoid, flavonoid and hydroxycinnamic acids content were higher with nonwoven materials, reaching an optimum with the RY40 material. On the contrary, the total monomeric anthocyanin content was lower when using AgrotexTM materials compared to the control. Agrotextile changes the spectrum of light incident on leaves, enhancing the regulatory effect, this explains the multidirectional change of antioxidant levels.