Data di Pubblicazione:
2010
Abstract:
Peat is widely used in the ornamental nursery industry as major component
for container plant production. Because of recent environmental concerns about
peat extraction and the increase of its cost, the main objective of this study was to
evaluate the suitability of five materials as partial peat substitutes for Camellia
japonica ‘Hagoromo’ production. As alternative materials, local green compost,
pumice, coconut fibres, coconut peat and pine barks were tested. A completely
randomised greenhouse experiment was carried out from February 2005 to May
2007 in a commercial nursery devoted to producing acidophilus ornamental plants,
located in Piedmont district (Northern Italy). There, the alternative substrates were
compared with the standard one, in real production conditions. During cultivation,
plant growth and flowering data were collected and subsequently subjected to
statistical analyses. Overall, the tested peat substitutes performed as well as the
standard substrate that could be replaced up to 30% without severe effects on
growth or flowering. The pumice outperformed the other alternative materials for
dry weight and SPAD values. The use of green compost caused an increase of weed
development (particularly Marchantia polymorpha). In order to better evaluate the
different substrates and to determine more precisely in which percentage the peat
can be partially substituted, new experiments will be carried out in the period 2008-
2010.
Tipologia CRIS:
03A-Articolo su Rivista
Keywords:
substrates; ornamental plants; growth index; sustainable horticulture
Elenco autori:
Larcher F; Scariot V
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