Alternative substrates in the production of lettuce seedlings and their productivity in the field

Abstract

Based on the hypothesis that alternative substrates should improve the yield of lettuce crops by producing better quality seedlings, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different substrates on the production of seedlings of this species, and their growth in the field. The study was in two stages. The first consisted of the production of lettuce seedlings, and the second assessed their development in the field. Four alternative substrates were tested, obtained by mixing together a sieved vermicompost from which all clumps had been removed, sterilized sand, charred rice husks and basalt powder. The commercial substrate, Plantmax HA , was also tested. In the first phase, which was conducted in a completely randomised design with four replications, the height, root length, number of leaves, leaf area and dry weight of the seedlings were all evaluated 28 days after sowing. In the second phase, which was carried out in the field in a randomised block design with four replications, the plants were harvested 50 days after transplanting and the head diameter, fresh weight, number of leaves and leaf and stem dry weight were evaluated. The alternative substrates produced larger seedlings in less time than the commercial substrate, resulting in a reduction of 10 days in the total crop cycle. The reduction in the time between sowing and harvesting, together with those aspects relating to sustainability, are the main advantages of the use of alternative substrates, since in the field crop production did not differ between treatments.

Efficacy of the Vermicomposts of Different Organic Wastes as “Clean” Fertilizers: State-of-the-Art

“…VC when used alone or in combination with rice husk, basalt powder and sand, enhanced the growth of the lettuce in comparison to controls. [196] Cow manure Peppermint (Mentha piperita)…”

Condicionadores De Substrato Para Produção Orgânica De Mudas De Cupuaçu

“…estas características físicas são proporcionadas por condicionadores, que podem ser comercializados ou produzidos a partir de resíduos orgânicos, como fibra de coco, casca de arroz carbonizada, fibra de caule de palmeira, composto orgânico, dentre outros, melhorando a qualidade de mudas de brócolis (loPeS et al, 2012), almeirão (PeReiRa et al, 2012), algodão , alface (CaStolDi et al, 2014) e tamarindo . o processo de carbonização da casca de arroz carbonizada, utilizada em substratos, reduz a incidência de plantas daninhas e patógenos; além disso, não reage com os nutrientes da adubação e possui longa durabilidade, sem alteração de suas características físicas, e proporciona boa drenagem ao substrato, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento das plantas em concentrações abaixo de 50% do substrato (Rota;PaUletti, 2008), reduz a densidade de substratos que contêm componentes densos (CaStolDi et al, 2014).…”

“…O efeito benéfico da casca de arroz carbonizada, quando adicionada ao substrato em proporção inferior a 50% v/v, vem de suas características físicas, que proporcionam boa drenagem, baixa densidade e água facilmente disponível (CaStolDi et al, 2014;Rota;PAULETTI, 2008), porém, para cupuaçuzeiro, este condicionador não proporcionou os melhores resultados para massa da matéria seca total e de raiz (tabela 3).…”

Vegetative Development of Radish Seedlings in Different Organic Substrates

“…Higher efficiency was observed for vermicompost mixtures, carbonized rice bark, and powdered rocks as substrates, providing higher growth [21,22]. Silva Júnior and Visconti [23,24] describe how a good substrate should have the ability to retain nutrients and water, good aeration, low resistance to root penetration and good resistance to loss of the structure of the root ball, which is essential for success when transplanting.…”