Abstract: Spinach （Spinacia oleracea L.）, amaranth （Amarantus mangostanus L.）, Chinese cabbage （Brassica chinensis L.） and lettuce（Lactuca sativa L.） were cultivated in the pot in the biotron, using soilless culture mediums composed of rape straw and decomposed coal gangue. Five culture mediums with the volume ratios of decomposed coal gangue and rape straw of 2∶8,3∶7,4∶6,5∶5 and 6∶4, respectively, were set, and the garden soil was used as control. After 30 and 55 days’ cultivation, the chlorophyll content, root activities, stomatal conductance and the net photosynthetic rate of four vegetables were measured. At the same time, the physicochemical properties of soilless culture mediums, as well as the characteristics of physiological activities of the four vegetable crops growing on different mediums were studied, in order to determine the best soilless culture medium. The results showed that the five soilless culture mediums had good physicochemical properties, with appropriate water-air ratio, lower unit weight, and more nutrition. Compared to the control, the vegetable crops growing on the soilless culture mediums had significantly higher chlorophyll content, root activities, stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate. Especially for the vegetables growing on the soilless culture medium with the volume ratios of decomposed coal gangue and rape straw of 4∶6, it showed the highest values on all indicators except for a relative lower root activity than vegetables on the soilless culture medium with the volume ratios of decomposed coal gangue and rape straw of 3∶7. In conclude, the best volume ratios of decomposed coal gangue and rape straw was 4∶6, and the second was 3∶7.

Key words: decomposed coal gangue, rape straw, soilless culture mediums, vegetable, physiological index