Ornamental bedding plant seedlings and pot production in nurseries and greenhouses are increasing. Popular bedding plants are nasturtium and marigold, whose flowers are both edible and decorative. Peat (P), an organic growing medium component used in pot-based culture, due to its proven physico-chemical properties, is used in almost 80% of growing medium preparation, and only 20% of growing media used in the European Union are made from materials other than peat. As peatlands are recognized as natural habitats for a variety of species and are protected areas, the extraction of peat, a non-renewable resource, has led to various environmental concerns. There is an urgent need to reduce the use of peat and alternative components for partial peat replacement are currently being investigated as woody fiber (WF). Little attention has been paid to residues from the coffee and beer agroindustry, the disposal of which is still an unsolved problem. In the current study, the possible partial replacement P in growing media with (WF), Coffee Silver Skin (CS) and Brewer’s Spent Grains (BSG) at 0–10–20-40% v/v were investigated in the production of nasturtium and marigold. The four organic components were sampled and analyzed for pH, EC and total N. By proportionally substituting P in different ratios, 10 different mixtures (v/v) were prepared. The experimental design was completely randomized. Morphological parameters, dry biomass, leaf chlorophyll concentration (µmol m-2) and gas exchange were determined from seedlings to sale. Data were subjected to ANOVA, and Duncan’s test was used. The first results show that BSG had a significant effect on both the physicochemical characteristics and plant performances in nasturtium and marigold when it was added to the peat-based mixtures. In nasturtium, substituting WF and CS for peat produced performances that were on par with the peat-based substrate; in marigold, on the other hand, the WF and BSG-based substrates produced superior results than the peat-based substrate. Further research is recommended to examine BSG’s effectiveness in the production of ornamental potted plants.
Morpho-physiological response of bedding plants quality to unconventional agro-industrial organic matrices to peat substitution. First outcomes.
A. E. Sdao;D. Mondelli;Scaltrito E.;B. Leoni;G. Cristiano;B. De Lucia
2024-01-01
Abstract
Ornamental bedding plant seedlings and pot production in nurseries and greenhouses are increasing. Popular bedding plants are nasturtium and marigold, whose flowers are both edible and decorative. Peat (P), an organic growing medium component used in pot-based culture, due to its proven physico-chemical properties, is used in almost 80% of growing medium preparation, and only 20% of growing media used in the European Union are made from materials other than peat. As peatlands are recognized as natural habitats for a variety of species and are protected areas, the extraction of peat, a non-renewable resource, has led to various environmental concerns. There is an urgent need to reduce the use of peat and alternative components for partial peat replacement are currently being investigated as woody fiber (WF). Little attention has been paid to residues from the coffee and beer agroindustry, the disposal of which is still an unsolved problem. In the current study, the possible partial replacement P in growing media with (WF), Coffee Silver Skin (CS) and Brewer’s Spent Grains (BSG) at 0–10–20-40% v/v were investigated in the production of nasturtium and marigold. The four organic components were sampled and analyzed for pH, EC and total N. By proportionally substituting P in different ratios, 10 different mixtures (v/v) were prepared. The experimental design was completely randomized. Morphological parameters, dry biomass, leaf chlorophyll concentration (µmol m-2) and gas exchange were determined from seedlings to sale. Data were subjected to ANOVA, and Duncan’s test was used. The first results show that BSG had a significant effect on both the physicochemical characteristics and plant performances in nasturtium and marigold when it was added to the peat-based mixtures. In nasturtium, substituting WF and CS for peat produced performances that were on par with the peat-based substrate; in marigold, on the other hand, the WF and BSG-based substrates produced superior results than the peat-based substrate. Further research is recommended to examine BSG’s effectiveness in the production of ornamental potted plants.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
