Articles
Organic and conventional agriculture in greenhouse production of tulip flowers
Article number
1435_14
Pages
109 – 114
Language
English
Abstract
This study evaluated the development of potted tulip flowers using different substrates under greenhouse conditions.
Two production systems were used: organic and conventional.
The organic production system consisted in inoculating beneficial microorganisms (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma spp., and Azotobacter spp.) and using organic fertilization.
The conventional system used commercial fertilizers and agrochemicals.
The experimental design was completely randomized, with ten treatments and five replications, considering each pot as an experimental unit.
The substrates included mixtures of tezontle (TZ), leaf mold (LM), peat moss (PM), and vermicompost (VC). All substrates included 20% TZ, and either LM and PM alone (80%) or a combination of two substrates (40% LM and 40% PM, 40% LM and 40% VC, or 40% PM and 40% VC). The tulip flowers were grown in the five substrate combinations using either organic or conventional (chemical) fertilization.
Yield and plant quality (plant height, stem diameter, bud diameter, and open corolla diameter) were evaluated.
The results of the contrast analysis showed that the organic agriculture system was superior to the conventional system since the tulips showed significantly larger stem and flower diameters.
Substrate mixtures containing LM 40% favored the production of this species.
Our study shows that tulip flower production in greenhouse conditions is feasible under the organic agriculture model.
Two production systems were used: organic and conventional.
The organic production system consisted in inoculating beneficial microorganisms (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma spp., and Azotobacter spp.) and using organic fertilization.
The conventional system used commercial fertilizers and agrochemicals.
The experimental design was completely randomized, with ten treatments and five replications, considering each pot as an experimental unit.
The substrates included mixtures of tezontle (TZ), leaf mold (LM), peat moss (PM), and vermicompost (VC). All substrates included 20% TZ, and either LM and PM alone (80%) or a combination of two substrates (40% LM and 40% PM, 40% LM and 40% VC, or 40% PM and 40% VC). The tulip flowers were grown in the five substrate combinations using either organic or conventional (chemical) fertilization.
Yield and plant quality (plant height, stem diameter, bud diameter, and open corolla diameter) were evaluated.
The results of the contrast analysis showed that the organic agriculture system was superior to the conventional system since the tulips showed significantly larger stem and flower diameters.
Substrate mixtures containing LM 40% favored the production of this species.
Our study shows that tulip flower production in greenhouse conditions is feasible under the organic agriculture model.
Authors
M.A. Rodríguez-Elizalde, J.A. Ortiz-Texon, M. Vargas-Hernández, A. Espinosa-Flores, C.A. Pérez-Mercado
Keywords
Tulipa spp., arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma, Azotobacter
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