comparison of leaf yield and quality in mulberry (morus alba l.) cultivars under soil-based and soilless greenhouse cultivation

The objective of this study was to compare the yield and leaf quality of three mulberry cultivars (kenmochi, ichinose, and kanz) under soil-based and hydroponic cultivation systems in the research greenhouse of the university of guilan. the experiment was arranged as a completely randomized design in factorial (2*3) arrangement. two cultivation system (soil vs. soilless) and three mulberry cultivar (kenmochi, kanz, ichinose) were evaluated in the present study. each treatment was replicated four times, with four seedlings per treatment. data were collected across three harvests and subjected to statistical analysis. results indicated that the soil-based system was superior in volumetric traits (fresh leaf weight, leaf number, leaf area, and total dry weight). in contrast, the hydroponic system significantly improved leaf quality indices and water use efficiency. the highest nitrogen (10.4%) and protein content (25.63%) were recorded in kanz under hydroponic cultivation. ichinose maintained leaf quality under hydroponics without notable yield reduction, whereas kanz exhibited the highest quantitative performance in soil. kenmochi provided a balanced combination of leaf quality and growth stability under hydroponics. a key finding revealed that hydroponic cultivation enhanced water use efficiency by 36.7% compared to soil-based cultivation. overall, hydroponics, combined with appropriate cultivar selection (kanz for superior nutritional quality and kenmochi for stability), represents the optimal approach for producing high-quality leaves with improved water efficiency for silkworm feeding. this study offers a practical model for advancing toward smart and sustainable agriculture in the sericulture industry.