Articles
Using compost and vermicompost for enrichment of alternative local substrate medium in bell pepper transplant production
Article number
1249_25
Pages
135 – 140
Language
English
Abstract
Supply restrictions, rising costs, and increasing environmental concerns over the use of horticultural substrates like peat moss (P) and coir dust (C) generate the need for alternative, renewable and economical materials.
Thus, in this tray experiment, a local made mixture of cedar sawdust (50%) and treated C (50%) was evaluated as a substrate for the production of bell pepper transplants.
This alternative local substrate (AS) was enriched with vermicompost produced from cattle manure (V) and rumen compost (RC). Eight different substrates were tested: control P (100%), AS (100%), AS + V (3:1, 2:1, 1:1) and AS + RC (3:1, 2:1, 1:1). Various physical and chemical properties of the substrates and transplant indices were measured in order to assess the quality of the nursery-produced plant.
Germination and emergence rate of bell pepper transplants were not affected by the substrate type, contrasting with the velocity of emergence for the transplants where the highest value occurred with AS and AS + V (2:1). The height of transplants cultivated in P and AS + RC (3:1, 2:1, 1:1) substrates performed better than in all AS + V substrate mixtures.
Although, there were no differences on the total number of leaves, transplants leaf area (LA) varied with treatments.
The largest LA was achieved with AS + RC (3:1 and 1:1). Transplants established in AS + V (1:1) and AS + RC (3:1 and 2:1) had significantly higher stem diameter than transplants raised in P and AS. The control P showed the highest shoot and root dry weights.
Despite substrate differences, adobe quality was unaffected by transplant media.
The results indicate that addition of RC could improve their properties over AS alone, and lead to improved growth and production of bell pepper transplants at the tropical conditions studied.
Thus, in this tray experiment, a local made mixture of cedar sawdust (50%) and treated C (50%) was evaluated as a substrate for the production of bell pepper transplants.
This alternative local substrate (AS) was enriched with vermicompost produced from cattle manure (V) and rumen compost (RC). Eight different substrates were tested: control P (100%), AS (100%), AS + V (3:1, 2:1, 1:1) and AS + RC (3:1, 2:1, 1:1). Various physical and chemical properties of the substrates and transplant indices were measured in order to assess the quality of the nursery-produced plant.
Germination and emergence rate of bell pepper transplants were not affected by the substrate type, contrasting with the velocity of emergence for the transplants where the highest value occurred with AS and AS + V (2:1). The height of transplants cultivated in P and AS + RC (3:1, 2:1, 1:1) substrates performed better than in all AS + V substrate mixtures.
Although, there were no differences on the total number of leaves, transplants leaf area (LA) varied with treatments.
The largest LA was achieved with AS + RC (3:1 and 1:1). Transplants established in AS + V (1:1) and AS + RC (3:1 and 2:1) had significantly higher stem diameter than transplants raised in P and AS. The control P showed the highest shoot and root dry weights.
Despite substrate differences, adobe quality was unaffected by transplant media.
The results indicate that addition of RC could improve their properties over AS alone, and lead to improved growth and production of bell pepper transplants at the tropical conditions studied.
Publication
Authors
C.A. Meza-Figueroa, D.G. Gualdron-Linares, H.O. Ramírez-Guerrero
Keywords
alternative substrates, substrate components, integrated crop management, slaughterhouse wastes
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