Scientia Horticulturae 219 (2017) 310–318

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Scientia Horticulturae
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scihorti

Nutritional quality of lettuce and onion as companion plants from

organic and conventional production in north Greece
Nikolaos Kapoulas a , Athanasios Koukounaras b , Zoran S. Ilić c,∗
a
Regional Development Agency of Rodopi, 69100 Komotini, Greece
b
Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle of University Thessaloniki, Greece
c
Faculty of Agriculture Priština-Lešak, 38219 Lešak, Serbia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of production systems – (organic-ORG or
Received 23 January 2017 conventional-CONV) and growing season (autumn or spring) of cos lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longi-
Received in revised form 17 March 2017 foila cv. ‘Parris Island’) and green onion (Allium cepa cv. ‘Sturon’) as companion planting (the onions and
Accepted 20 March 2017
lettuce were grown in the same plot of land), on the yield and quality parameters (mineral composi-
tion, phenolic profiles, antioxidant capacity, nitrate content). Soil and meteorological parameters were
Keywords:
measured. Lettuce plant in both production system obtained higher content of K, B, Zn, or Fe compared
Vegetables
to onion. The general order of the mineral content in both plants was K > Ca > Mg > Fe > Mn > B > Zn > Cu.
Production system
Growing season
Organically grown green onions from both growing seasons had higher contents of all macro and micro
Yield elements (except Cu) compared to the conventionally grown onions. Lettuce from CONV systems con-
Mineral content tained more Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu than that from ORG production. However, no significant difference in
Phytochemicals total phenols content (TPC) was observed between production system and growing season in lettuce.
Nitrate TPC in green onion was higher compared to lettuce. A similar trend was observed for total antioxidant
capacity. The nitrate concentration was significantly higher in lettuce than in onion. Lettuce and onions
grown in the fall-winter period contained higher nitrate levels compared to lettuce and onions grown in
spring-summer. In conclusion, companion planting can result in an increase in productivity of vegetables
per unit area, and can improve net income. At present however, we cannot conclusively demonstrate a
higher health-promoting value of ORG lettuce and onion in comparison to lettuce and onion grown by
CONV farming methods.
© 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.

1. Introduction
The organic production area (total arable land) in Greece
reached 98,030 ha by latest estimates and represents 3.5% of the
total cultivated area. However, only 1.8% of the total arable organic
area is used for vegetable production (Eurostat, 2015). Greenhouse
production is assessed to be very intensive, with cash crops rota-
tion during the whole year (Tringovska et al., 2015). Companion
planting is an intercropping practice often associated with organic
agriculture.
Short-duration vegetables like lettuce and green onion can be
harvested at the same time to make room for the main crop (tomato,
eggplant, or pepper). In organic production, which is traditionally
performed on small family farms, the production of lettuce is of
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: zoran.ilic63@gmail.com, zorans.ilic@pr.ac.rs (Z.S. Ilić).
great economic and social importance (Čabilovski et al., 2008; Porto
et al., 2008), strengthening their self-confidence and improving
their livelihood (Nandi et al., 2015). Production of organic let-
tuce can be organized on different plot sizes since it has a short
vegetation period (Čabilovski et al., 2011). This information will
allow small, resource-poor farms to use their labour and inputs
more efficiently (Yildirim and Guvenc, 2005). Lettuce is used almost
throughout the year since there are a number of varieties that are
cultivated successfully in early spring, during the summer and win-
ter (Zdravković et al., 2014).
Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifoila) (also known
as cos) as a leafy cool-season vegetable is a popular cultivation
across Mediterranean countries (Romero-Gamez et al., 2014), such
as Greece. It is usually consumed as raw in salads together with
green onion and represents a good source of minerals (Caliskan
et al., 2014). In every day nutrition, lettuce is of great signifi-
cance primarily for its content of biologically active substances,
especially phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, vitamins A and

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2017.03.027
0304-4238/© 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
 N. Kapoulas et al. / Scientia Horticulturae 219 (2017) 310–318 311

Table 1
Mean air temperature and total precipitation during the vegetation of lettuce and green onion (January to December 2015–2016 from Sapes meteorological stations).

Month Mean monthly air Mean daily temperature Mean daily temperature Precipitation amount (mm)
temperature (◦ C) maximum for the month (◦ C) minimum for the month (◦ C)

Year

2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016 2015 2016

January 5.5 5.0 10.1 9.9 1.8 1.0 140.4 97.6

February 6.3 10.4 10.7 15.3 2.5 6.7 35.8 57.8
March 7.9 10.1 12.3 15.3 4.1 5.7 176.4 34.8
April 11.6 15.9 18.1 23.9 6.2 9.6 62.2 7.8
May 19.5 17.1 26.6 23.5 13.3 11.6 21.8 91.2
June 21.4 23.7 27.7 31.1 15.8 17.5 35.6 8.0
July 26.0 26.4 34.1 33.8 18.2 19.0 43.4 5.0
August 26.6 26.6 34.1 34.3 19.5 19.4 3.4 0.0
September 22.7 21.5 29.9 29.2 16.9 15.3 92.4 0.0
October 14.5 15.0 19.9 21.9 10.5 9.5 55.0 0.0
November 12.5 10.3 19.0 15.4 8.0 6.0 90.0 33.2
December 6.2 2.8 12.6 8.5 2.4 −1.6 2.0 2.4

K, folates, and carotenoids (Llorach et al., 2008). In Greece, let-
tuce is cultivated either in greenhouses or in the open field
(Foteinis and Chatzisymeon, 2016) in conventional and organic
agriculture. Green onions (Allium cepa. var. cepa L.) are valued
highly for their flavour and nutritional value in supplying minor
constituents, such as macro and micro minerals (potassium, cal-
cium, magnesium, iron, selenium), and also vitamins (␤-carotene,
folate, vitamin A, vitamin C) (USDA National Nutrient Database for
Standard Reference, 2011) and high level of flavonoids (quercetin,
kaempferol, luteolin) (Miean and Mohamed, 2001). Green onions
are comprised of roots, a compressed stem (sometimes called stem
plate), and leaves, which consist of a lower white leaf sheath and
hollow upper green tissues (Viškelis et al., 2012). Growing of two or
more plants together usually is a method for disease management
in crop production, but it also can alter positively the microclimatic
conditions around the canopy (Gómez et al., 2009). Furthermore,
resources such as water, light and nutrients are utilized more effec-
tively than in the respective monocropping systems (Wang et al.,
2007).
Traditionally farmers are using farmyard manure (FYM) as a
source of nutrients for organic lettuce cultivation (Hammad et al.,
2011). The treatment with 25 tons cattle manure/ha was the best
dose of organic fertilizer for maximizing the production of lettuce
(Islam et al., 2012). However, the higher cost and the scarcity of
animal manure is forcing farmers to search for alternate nutrient
sources for organic lettuce cultivation. Application of vermicom-
post (5 t ha−1 ) inoculated with biofertilizer Azophos (Chatterjee,
2015) and the combined use of green manure and FYM or compost
and vermicompost teas (Santiago-López et al., 2016) has been used
successfully in organic lettuce production (Caliskan et al., 2014).
Although a number of studies have shown that amending soils
with animal manure results in improvement of soil properties, the
application of manure can lead to weed spreading if preparation
and maintaining of manure is not adequate (Larney and Blackshaw
2003). In addition, uncontrolled use of manure, as well as other
organic fertilizers, can lead to adverse effects such as accumulation
of nitrates in plants (Larney et al., 2006). In order to avoid these
potentially negative aspects, the Council Regulation EC 1804/1999
and Nitrates Directive (Council Directive 91/676/EEC 1991) lim-
its the maximum annual incorporation of organic fertilizers to the
amount equivalent to 170 kg N ha−1 .
Several factors influence the accumulation of nitrates in plants,
including plant variety, lack of sunlight or water, high levels of
fertilizers (Solberg et al., 2015), maturity, nitrate levels in the soil
(Manojlović et al., 2010), and quality of irrigation water. The nitrate
content has been shown to be dependent on the agricultural pro-
duction system (Aires et al., 2013). Some studies have confirmed
that organic vegetables have lower nitrate contents than vegeta-
bles grown conventionally (Gonzalez et al., 2010), whereas other
studies show the opposite trend (Guadagnin et al., 2005).
Polat et al. (2008) revealed that the mineral content of organi-
cally grown and conventionally grown plants were similar (almost
equal), but that the organically grown plants contained higher lev-
els of Fe and Zn. This finding corroborated results from previous
studies revealing that organically grown lettuce had higher con-
tents of iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), and phosphorus (P) than the
conventionally grown ones (Caliskan et al., 2014). Plants treated
with organic fertilizers had higher levels of vitamin C (Polat et al.,
2008) and soluble solids (Magkos et al., 2003) than plants treated
with chemical fertilizers. These examples point to the advantages of
organic growing. Although a majority of published studies agree on
the higher contents of certain vitamins and antioxidants and lower
contents of nitrates and pesticide residues in organically grown
vegetables, than in conventionally grown vegetables, there are nev-
ertheless reports that present the opposite results (Sobieralski et al.,
2013).
We therefore undertook experiments to determine the nutri-
tion properties of lettuce and green onions grown under different
production methods (organic and conventional), to assess whether
fresh salads could be provided throughout the year and during
different growing seasons (autumn and spring).
2. Material and methods
2.1. Experimental site
Cos lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifoila cv. ‘Parris Island’)
fast-growing multi-purpose lettuce for baby leaf or full size heads
(uniform grey-green heads have nicely savoyed leaves) have been
tested in greenhouse production (plastic tunnels 3.5 m high, cov-
ered by 3-layer, long-life, thermic, EVA film – Kritifil 180 ␮, origin
from Plastika Kritis, Greece, with the following optical properties
– total light transmission 89%; diffusion 45%; infrared transmis-
sion < 17), located in the Sapes, north-Eastern Greece (longitude:
25◦ 42 E, latitude 41◦ 01 N) during 2015–2016, using two dif-
ferent growing systems, organic and conventional. Mild weather
conditions, the low-level agrochemical pollution, and small size
familly-farms all promote the production of organic lettuce and
green onion in Sapes region with good organoleptic proper-
ties. Organic production from experimental garden is certified by
private bodies approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, under Reg-
ulation (EC) No 834/2007 and the Regulation No 889/2008.
312 N. Kapoulas et al. / Scientia Horticulturae 219 (2017) 310–318

Table 2
Texture and chemical analysis of soil (0–30 cm) in conventional and organic production.

Sand (%) Clay (%) Silt (%) pH Organic matter (%) EC (mS/cm) CaCO3 (%) NO3 − (ppm)

Autumn
Conventional 70 8 22 8.0 0.8 0.75 12.5 11
Organic 62 14 24 7.7 9.8 18.98 12.5 5.99

Spring
Conventional 64 12 24 7.6 1.4 1.48 1.1 25
Organic 68 12 20 7.3 8.6 8.48 5.9 201

EC-Soil electrical conductivity.

Table 3
Elemental nutrient concentrations of soil in conventional and organic production.

P K Mg Ca Fe Zn Mn Cu B
% ppm

Autumn
Conventional 10 148 358 >2.000 15.98 0.67 6.92 0.89 0.65
Organic 460 7.13 3.79 >2.000 47.07 17.9 18.17 0.64 13.06

Spring
Conventional 12 177 403 >2.000 17.38 0.39 8.07 1.11 0.52
Organic 390 1.70 1.93 >2.000 36.72 13.29 8.84 1.22 8.60

2.2. Soil and plant sampling and analysis
Composite soil samples for analyzing the basic soil properties
consisted of 25 samples and were taken from soil layers (0–30)
before the experiments were set up. Samples used to determine
mineral N content during vegetation were two individual samples
taken from every treatment replication. Soil reaction was deter-
mined in a suspension with H2O and 1 M KCl (ratio of 1:2.5, w/v),
using a Metrel MA3657 pH-meter. CaCO3 content was determined
volumetrically, using Scheibler’s calcimeter (Hedas, Serbia).
Total C and N contents were determined with a CHNS analyzer
(Elementar Vario EL, Germany). After extraction with AL-solution
(0.1 M ammonium lactate and 0.4 M acetic acid, pH 3.75, the ratio
of soil: solution 1:20, w/v) (Egner et al., 1960), phosphorus concen-
tration was measured with a spectrophotometer, and potassium
concentration with a flame photometer.
Greenhouse technology and horticultural practices differed a
little between conventional and organic greenhouse production.
The main variations were concerned with pest control and fertil-
ity. The differences between production systems were the fertilizer
used organic (goat manure with 4.17 t/ha; N-1.92%; P2 O5 -1.14%;
K2 O-2.05%) and conventional (mineral fertilizer N:P:K (12:12:17)
nitrophos blue special + 2MgO + 8S + Trace elements – 667 kg/ha).
In conventional cultivation, mineral fertilizers and chemical plant
protection were applied. In the present study, the materials per-
mitted by the rules of organic growing were used against the pests
and diseases. Arabic soap (1%) against the aphids, a bacterial prepa-
ration (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) against the caterpillars
and copper oxychloride against the lettuce mildew were applied in
the organic plots whereas synthetic preparations were used in the
conventional plots during the both growing seasons.
2.3. Plant material and cultivation
The substrate for seedling production consisted of 30% soil, 50%
manure and 20% peat and a small part of marble. At the third true-
leaf stage, lettuce plants were transplanted to the soil at a density of
11 plants m−2 . Production of green onion, based on the production
by the bulbs (1.5 g weight) with planting at between rows of lettuce
(a distance of 30 cm) and 10 cm inside the row, achieved a density
of 33 plants/m2 . The cultivation of lettuce and green onion was
conducted between October and January in autumn production and
from February to May in spring growing season (Table 1).
The experiments were set in conditions of sprinkler irrigation,
without any additional fertilization during the growing seasons.
The sprinkler irrigation system was operated periodically during
the period March-May to maintain soil moisture above 70% of hold-
ing water capacity. At autumn production, tomato was the previous
crop to lettuce on the organic method of cultivation. Data related
to the cultivation practices is summarised in Table 4.
During harvesting the mass of 30 plants from each replication
was measured to establish total yield, whereas the sample for deter-
mining composition was consisted of two whole lettuce plants and
12 onion plants per replication for mineral composition and simi-
larly for nutritional quality parameters.
For plant mineral composition, dried leaf tissues were ground
and analyzed for macronutrients and micronutrients. Nitrogen con-
centration was determined using the Kjeldahl procedure (Horneck
and Miller, 1998) and B was determined by azomethine-H spec-
trophotometric (U-2900 Spectrophotometer, Hitachi, Osaka, Japan)
method (Gupta, 1998). Determinations of P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn,
and Zn was by dry ashing at 580 ◦ C for 16–18 h, dissolving the
ash in 6 N HCl, and assaying the solution obtained by inductively
coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (Hou and Jones,
2000). Argon was employed as a plasmogen and N2 as a carrier
gas. A multi-elemental standard solution of investigated elements
(Merck, Rieden, Germany) was used for calibration.
Nutritional quality parameters were determined in plant tissue
from each replication which was macerated in a blender. Sugars are
the major soluble solids in juice. Other soluble materials include
organic and amino acids, soluble pectins, etc. Soluble solids con-
centration (SSC%, ◦ Brix) determined in a small sample of fruit juice
using a hand held refractometer, Atago PR-1 refractometer (Atago
Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan).
Dry matter content was determined after drying of about 60 g
of the blended material at 70 ◦ C for 72 h. Nitrate content was
determined colorimetrically, according to Cataldo et al. (1975).
For total phenolics and total antioxidant capacity, samples (5 g)
were extracted using a solvent mixture of methanol-water (80:20,
v:v). Total phenolics content was measured according to Scalbert
et al. (1989) using the Folin–Ciocalteu’s reagent, and gallic acid was
used as standard; and the results were expressed as mg of gallic
acid equivalent (GAE)/g f.w. For antioxidant capacity the reduc-
ing potential was determined by FRAP assay (Benzie and Strain,
1996). Ascorbic acid (AA) was used as standard, and the results
were expressed as ␮mol AA/g f.w.
 N. Kapoulas et al. / Scientia Horticulturae 219 (2017) 310–318 313

Fig. 1. Yield of lettuce and green onion.

Values followed by the same letter do not significantly differ between the treatments, at P = 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test.
Vertical bars indicate SE of the means.

Fig. 2. Effect of production system and growing season on dry matter content in lettuce and green onion.
Values followed by the same letter do not significantly differ between the treatments, at P = 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test.
Vertical bars indicate SE of the means.

A randomised complete block design was used with 3 repli- Table 4

Dates for the cultivation practice operations.
cations. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed in MSTAT
(Michigan State University) and mean separation was done with Autumn Spring
Duncan multiple range test (P < 0.05). 1. Sowing 25th September 2015. 13th February 2016.
lettuce
3. Results and discussion 2. Planting 5th November 2th April
lettuce and
onion
The soil type was a sand-loam one and no fertilizer was applied 3. Harvest 20th January 15th May
before starting the experiment. The soil characteristics of the study period
area are presented in Tables 2 and 3. Organic soil had remarkable 4. Planting- 75 43
harvest period
higher EC than the conventional because of higher nutrient organic
(days)
matter and high phosporous content.
Soil under farming practices of organic or conventional man- 1) Lettuce seed was sown in plastic containers with a nutritious substrate. Young
lettuce plants were grown in the greenhouse until they formed 4–6 leaves. 2) Plant-
agement for a long term affected soil properties. Differences in ing density (lettuce −11 plants/m2 ; green onion −33 plants/m2 ). 3) Lettuce was
the mechanical analysis of the soil occur because of different sites. harvested when it was commercially mature; onion was harvested at same time. 4)
Amount of calcium carbonate differ between autumn and spring. Starting from planting.
In autumn season, both conventional and organic soils have high
CaCO3 , but much lower in spring season. The big differences for
CaCO3 between the two seasons is due to rainfall and washout EC depend on the EC origin. It is because of high NaCl concentra-
inside the greenhouse during the period of plastic cover change tion or generally high concentration of minerals. In our case is the
in both greenhouses. second and maybe has less negative effect than salinity because of
The high EC (soil electrical conductivity) of organic is due to NaCl. Relation between salt concentration and salinity stress reac-
the cultivation as organic for over 10 years and the addendum tions can be achieved only in laboratory conditions (because in the
every year organic fertilization with high nutrient content. High field salt concentration cannot be stabilized around the roots and
314 N. Kapoulas et al. / Scientia Horticulturae 219 (2017) 310–318

Fig. 3. Effect of production system and growing season on soluble solid content in lettuce and green onion.
Values followed by the same letter do not significantly differ between the treatments, at P = 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test.
Vertical bars indicate SE of the means.

Table 5
Effect of production system and growing season on nutrient concentrations of lettuce and green onion.

Min. elements N P K Ca Mg B Mn Zn Fe Cu
Concentration
% ppm

Lettuce
Autumn
Conventional 3.39 ± 0.06b 0.48 ± 0.02b 7.91 ± 0.76a 1.07 ± 0.04a 0.39 ± 0.02a 26.93 ± 0.50a 35.49 ± 3.82a 22.09 ± 1.60b 159.30 ± 12.07a 7.71 ± 0.43a
Organic 4.58 ± 0.08a 0.73 ± 0.01a 7.20 ± 0.14a 0.87 ± 0.01b 0.33 ± 0.02b 28.53 ± 0.50a 27.95 ± 0.54a 45.13 ± 0.86a 112.86 ± 0.64b 7.27 ± 0.51a
Spring
Conventional 2.69 ± 0.25b 0.36 ± 0.02a 6.98 ± 0.52a 0.77 ± 0.01a 0.39 ± 0.02a 18.84 ± 1.33b 37.03 ± 0.88a 13.35 ± 0.50b 78.83 ± 2.30a 6.08 ± 1.33a
Organic 3.72 ± 0.15a 0.39 ± 0.05a 8.15 ± 0.60a 0.71 ± 0.03a 0.33 ± 0.02a 23.98 ± 0.82a 36.57 ± 2.08b 21.91 ± 1.44a 76.12 ± 8.56a 2.07 ± 0.09b

Green onion
Autumn
Conventional 3.35 ± 0.49a 0.36 ± 0.01b 3.57 ± 0.29b 0.79 ± 0.04a 0.28 ± 0.02b 15.18 ± 0.50b 23.83 ± 1.70b 12.18 ± 1.07b 77.10 ± 7.39a 8.71 ± 0.91a
Organic 4.63± 0.03a 0.51 ± 0.03a 5.19 ± 0.19a 0.87 ± 0.01a 0.36 ± 0.00a 18.03 ± 0.38a 31.09 ± 0.77a 27.49 ± 2.13a 86.33 ± 0.99a 4.48 ± 0.21b
Spring
Conventional 2.24 ± 0.01b 0.31 ± 0.02a 2.64 ± 0.16b 0.92 ± 0.03b 0.27 ± 0.01b 2.69 ± 0.67b 24.77 ± 0.89b 7.87 ± 0.18b 57.97 ± 4.12b 5.15 ± 0.39a
Organic 3.03 ± 0.11a 0.26 ± 0.01a 3.73 ± 0.05a 1.31 ± 0.06a 0.46 ± 0.06a 9.44 ± 0.51a 47.76 ± 0.92a 19.77 ± 3.24a 81.16 ± 3.59a 3.05 ± 0.13b

many other variables appear). The hypothesis that EC has not a
major effect in our study is based on similar yield results for both
vegetables among the two season.
Lettuce yield in the ORG production practice was higher than
in the CONV production system. In contrast, green onion in ORG
production from both growing season produced significantly lower
mass per plant than the CONV production system (Fig. 1).
Paris Island lettuce cultivar in previous study by Bartha et al.
(2015) can be recommended for cultivation in areas affected by
increased salinity. Previous studies on organic lettuce production
reported that inorganic fertilizers resulted in lower yields than
organic manures (Masarirambi et al., 2010; Maqueda et al., 2011).
It would be due to differences in nutrient availability (Kaplan et al.,
2008; Xu et al., 2005), tolerance to salt stress (Miceli et al., 2003) or
microbial activity (Cundiff, 2012) in different production systems
or different vegetables.
Crop yield is affected by a number of factors, including climatic
conditions, length of growing season (Pavlou et al., 2007; Kaplan
et al., 2008), the abiotic and biotic stress resistance/tolerance of the
variety, production system, crop management (Tuzel and Leonardi,
2009), and type of fertilizer used (Masarirambi et al., 2010).
3.1. Soluble solid content and dry matter content
Dry matter content (DM) of lettuce and green onion were
not affected significantly by different production systems in the
autumn growing season. There were no considerable variations
(6.3-5.2%) of DM in lettuce between production systems (Fig. 2).
However, the content of DM in lettuce from spring production time
was higher in comparison to autumn production time. The differ-
ences of DM content in lettuce from different production systems
in spring production time were statistically significant.
Regardless of production systems and time of production, onion
was characterized with higher DM content compared to lettuce
plants. Although the differences among production system (9.4-
8.7%) were not significant in autumn production, differences were
significant in spring production time. There were considerable vari-
ations of DM in green onion from 11.11% in ORG to 13.07% in CONV
production system.
In autumn production, no significant differences in soluble
solids content (SSC) were observed between ORG (5.73 ◦ Brix) and
CONV (6.00 ◦ Brix) grown onions, but in the spring production time
the SSC levels were significantly higher in the CONV (9.37 ◦ Brix)
than in ORG (7.17 ◦ Brix) production system. As for the onions, there
were no significant differences in SSC (3.73 ◦ Brix) between ORG and
CONV grown lettuce in autum production (Fig. 3).
A study by Magkos et al. (2003) evaluated the DM content of
several vegetables and found that organically cultivated crops had
higher DM content than those grown conventionally. These find-
ings, however, are evident only for the plants that grow above the
ground (leaf vegetables) such as spinach, lettuce, chard, savoy cab-
bage and white cabbage (Magkos et al., 2003).
 N. Kapoulas et al. / Scientia Horticulturae 219 (2017) 310–318 315

Fig. 4. Effect of production system and growing season on total phenols content in lettuce and green onion.
Values followed by the same letter do not significantly differ between the treatments, at P = 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test.
Vertical bars indicate SE of the means.

Fig. 5. Effect of production system and growing season on antioxidant activities in lettuce and green onion.
FRAP – ferric reducing antioxidant power
Values followed by the same letter do not significantly differ between the treatments, at P = 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test.
Vertical bars indicate SE of the means.

3.2. Mineral profile
The total N concentrations of the lettuce leaves were not signif-
icantly influenced by the time of production in either CONV or ORG
production system (Table 5). In general, the total N and P content
of lettuce and green onion in ORG production systems was higher
than in the CONV production system. Fall-winter production had
highest total N and P content than the spring production times in
either production system.
The total K, Ca and Mg contents of the green onion grown under
ORG production systems was higher than under the CONV produc-
tion. The results showed that K contents of green onion were higer
in fall-winter than in spring-summer production times. Calcium
and Mg accumulated more in spring-summer production times.
The results of our study revealed that ORG-grown lettuce had
higher contents of Zn and B, than the CONV-grown lettuce. The
results showed that the concentrations of Zn and B were higher
in the autumn than in spring production times. Some earlier stud-
ies indicated a higher Zn content in lettuce with ORG production
systems (Polat et al., 2008; Kelly and Bateman, 2010), or no signifi-
cant differences between ORG and CONV systems (Maqueda et al.,
2011).
The effects of CONV and ORG production systems were sig-
nificant on Fe concentration of lettuce leaves in the autumn, but
the effects were not significant in the spring production time.
Worthington (2001), reported that plants grown in ORG environ-
ments contained significantly higher Fe concentrations than plants
grown in CONV agricultural environments.
Manganese concentration in lettuce leaves did not differ sig-
nificantly between ORG or CONV production systems or time of
production. In contrast, Kaplan et al. (2008) achieved increases in
the concentration of Mn in lettuce with organic fertilizer appli-
cations and that Mn concentration decreased with the mineral
fertilization in fall-winter or spring-summer experiments. In the
current study, Cu concentrations were higher in the CONV produc-
tion system than in the ORG system. The Cu concentrations in either
production systems were significantly higher in spring.
Lettuce grown with ORG fertilizers showed a higher mineral
nutrient concentration than those grown with CONV fertilizers
(Masarirambi et al., 2010). Magkos et al. (2003) reported that
although a small number of studies have been published, slightly
higher concentrations of elements such as Fe, Ca, P, Mn, Mg, Zn, Cu,
and K have been obtained in organic vegetables. The majority of
316 N. Kapoulas et al. / Scientia Horticulturae 219 (2017) 310–318
Fig. 6. Effect of production system and growing season on nitrate content in lettuce and green onion.
Values followed by the same letter do not significantly differ between the treatments, at P = 0.05 according to Duncan’s multiple range test.
Vertical bars indicate SE of the means.
evidence, however, has revealed no significant differences for Zn,
Ni, Cr and Co between ORG and CONV lettuce (Sofo et al., 2016).
3.3. Phenols content
Our results show that the concentration of phenols were not
significantly different between the two times of production. Sig-
nificant difference has been reported for the production system,
that is, the phenol content is significantly higher in lettuces grown
in CONV (0.40 mg/g) than in ORG production systems (0.20 mg/g),
but only in the autumn production time. The green onion generally
contained higher phenolic compounds than lettuce under the same
growing conditions (production system and time of production),
(Fig. 4).
From the overall analysis of the results, the higher concentra-
tions of phenolics in CONV systems could be associated to the
presence of more stressful conditions, in terms of plant and nutrient
deficiency (Sofo et al., 2016). Another reason for high concentra-
tions of phenolic compounds in organically grown vegetables is
the absence of pesticide residues in their organ/tissues which have
been found to decrease the phenolic contents (Lima and Vianello,
2011).
ORG fertilization did not cause an increase in the antioxidant
capacity. In fact, higher antioxidant activity is recorded in a con-
ventional fertilization in both plant species from both production
times, except from spring production time, where ORG grown
onion obtained more antioxidant capacity.
Lettuce harvested in different production systems may differ
antioxidant activities. Concurrently, there is no difference in antiox-
idant capacity between growing seasons. The onion generally had
stronger antioxidant activities than the lettuce within the both pro-
duction systems under the same growing conditions. Green onion
from autumn production contained higher antioxidant activities
than green onion from spring production time (Fig. 5).
3.4. Nitrate content
Luxury use of nitrogen fertilizers should be avoided so as to
reduce nitrate buildup in soil and vegetables (Santamaria, 2006).
To maximize the health benefits from eating vegetables, measures
should be taken to limit the nitrate exposures (Correia et al., 2010).
The content of nitrate in vegetables could be unrelated to the
agricultural production system, and often, organic vegetables could
present very high nitrate levels. The concentrations of nitrate in the
soils of the organically grown vegetable were much higher than the
concentrations of the conventional system in this study. Perhaps,
this fact results from the high concentrations of organic matter in
the soils of the organic treatment. Also many studies have demon-
strated that organically grown crops have similar levels of nitrates
to their conventionally grown counterparts.
The limits detected for nitrate in our samples are within the
legal limits (<3000 mg/kg FW for lettuce and similar samples) rec-
ommended by European Union regulations (Regulation [EC] No.
1258/2011). Thus, from the point of view of nitrates, cos lettuce
as type of leaf vegetables are safe.
Except lettuce from autumn production time in ORG production
system, lettuce samples contained less than 300 mg kg−1 NO3 . The
lowest value of nitrates (217.91 mg kg−1 ) were in CONV produc-
tion system in autumn. The highest values of nitrate concentration
(406.20 mg kg−1 ) were in ORG production system in autumn.
The nitrate concentration was significantly higher in green
onion plants grown during the spring period compared to those
grown in autumn, indicating that different growing seasons affect
nitrate content (Fig. 6).
Nitrate in soil was higher in the spring than in the fall. Tempera-
ture of soil in the spring was higher and in this case the availability
of nitrate is better. Onion from ORG production system obtained
higher nitrate concentration at both growing season (autumn and
spring), because the nitrate concentration was higher in soil of the
organic system than in the conventional system.
There are also differences in nitrate content between species.
Thus, the content of nitrates of lettuce is always (production system
and growing season) much larger when compared to green onions.
Although manure application increased nitrate concentration in
lettuce and green onion compared to conventional fertilization,
concentrations were below the regulations limits. In studies con-
cerning nitrate contents in ORG and CONV grown vegetables highly
different results were recorded (Magkos et al., 2003; Gonzalez et al.,
2010). Like the studies by Chen et al. (2004) and Petropoulos et al.
(2008), our results revealed that the nitrate accumulation had a
close relationship with the amount of fertilizer applied. Winter
production of organic lettuce (with different ground cover manage-
ment and farmyard manure) in Serbian conditions is characterized
by the accumulation of high amounts of nitrates in the fresh mass
(between 1000 and 2.300 mg kg−1 ), Manojlović et al. (2017). Sum-
mer lettuce samples in Slovenia contained nitrate content, from 62
to 776 mg kg−1 , with a mean value of 398 mg kg−1 . The lowest lev-
els of nitrate were in organic crisp lettuce and ranged from 62 to
348 mg kg−1 (Hmelak-Gorenjak and Cencič, 2013). The release of
nitrogen in organic fertilizers is slower than that in inorganic fer-
 N. Kapoulas et al. / Scientia Horticulturae 219 (2017) 310–318
tilizers, so the concentration of available nitrogen would be higher
with conventional fertilization, since organic fertilization typically
does not provide nitrogen in a readily accessible form (Herencia
et al., 2011).
According to earlier studies in Denmark (Petersen and Stoltze,
1999), Estonia (Tamme et al., 2006), France (Menard et al., 2008),
and Korea (Chung et al., 2003), the mean nitrate content in
organic fertilizer-amended lettuce was 1900–2700 mg kg−1 . The
nitrate concentrations in the lettuce produced in Taiwan treated
with inorganic or organic fertilizers reached 5000–6100 and
4300–5200 mg kg−1 , respectively (Cheng-Wei et al., 2014).
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, our results show that the ORG system of lettuce
production results in higher crop yields than the CONV produc-
tion system. However, in green onion production we observed the
opposite results. From the overall analysis of the results, the higher
content of phenolics observed in the conventional treatments could
be due to the presence of more stressful conditions, in terms of
plant or soil mineral deficits. On the other hand, the adoption of an
organic management led to higher crop yields and a better plant
mineral balance. There were no signifficant differences in terms of
nutrition value and quality, which is why it is possible to recom-
mend organic lettuce and green onion growing as it has much more
positive effects on human health. The results of the present study
indicate that cos lettuce with green onion inter-cropping system
increases the total productivity per unit land and per unit time and
improves the judicious utilization of the land under plastic house.
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