ISHS Acta Horticulturae 898: V International Symposium on Seed, Transplant and Stand Establishment of Horticultural Crops
POTENTIAL USE OF VERMICOMPOST AND COMPOST FROM INTENSIVE HORTICULTURAL WASTES AS CUCUMBER SEEDBEDS |
| Authors: | R. Melgar, M.I. Pascual-Alex |
| Keywords: | seedbeds, hydrophisical properties, intensive horticultural wastes, composts, vermicompost, peat substitute, germination |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.898.20 |
| Abstract:
Research on new materials as peat substitute in growing media in horticulture are, nowadays, one main theme of research in agriculture, due to high cost, depletion of a non-renewable resource, and environmental constrains, that harvest of this material carries in wetland ecosystems. Thus, numerous studies confirm that the use of different organic residues, after proper stabilization, can be used with very good results as growth media instead of peat. There are few studies about the use of intensive agriculture wastes as horticulture seedbeds. In this study, combinations of 3 different stabilized organic materials (composts, vermicompost and compost-vermi-compost) and mixed (25 and 50% partial substitution of peat) have been compared with a control (peat). The hydrophysical, chemical and germination properties were analyzed. The result showed adequate hydrophysical and chemical properties for their use as cucumber seedbed, except the treatment with 50% by volume of compost (C50), which present the lowest aerial total dry weight, and poor hydrophysical properties. Statistical differences in seeding cumulative germination percentage were found among C50 and the rest of the treatments. Finally is possible the use of partial substitution of different horticultural wasted stabilized by compost, vermicompost and compost-vermicompost, but the percentage of compost must not exceed 50% by volume. | |
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