Yield and quality of basil, Swiss chard, and rocket microgreens grown in a hydroponic system

Microgreens are gaining interest for claimed high nutraceutical properties, but data on their chemical composition are so far limited. Although often grown hydroponically, their mineral requirements are still unknown. This study aimed to provide an insight into yield, mineral uptake, and quality of basil, Swiss chard, and rocket microgreens grown in a hydroponic system. With reference to data reported in literature for the same species hydroponically grown but harvested at adult stage, these microgreens yielded about half, with lower dry matter percentage, but higher shoot/root ratio. They showed high concentrations of some minerals, but their nutrient uptake was limited due to low yield. Nitrates content was lower if compared with that usually measured in baby leaf or adult vegetables of the same species, as well as the concentration of chlorophylls, carotenoids, phenols, and sugars. Therefore, microgreens seem to be interesting and innovative low-nitrate-salad crops requiring low fertiliser inputs. Nevertheless, an improvement in yield as well as in the content of nutraceutical compounds would be desirable.