Testing new peat-free substrate mixtures for the cultivation of perennial herbaceous species: A case study on Leucanthemum vulgare Lam

Lonardo, Sara Di; Cacini, Sonia; Becucci, Luca; Lenzi, Anna; Orsenigo, Simone; Zubani, L.; Rossi, Graziano; Zaccheo, P.; Massa, Daniele

doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2021.110472

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…But, coir might not accumulate Fe and Cu, and absorb a lot but release very little of Mn, resulting in the contents of these elements being decreased in crops compared to rockwool cultivations. Previous research also showed that the substrates that contained coir had higher levels of many macro and micronutrients, namely N–NH 4 , K, Ca, Mg, Mn, and Zn compared to other peat-containing substrates ( di Lonardo et al., 2021 ). The higher C/N ratio in coir and N content in used coir is due to its a high content of lignin and cellulose that can cause immobilization of soluble N ( Atzori et al., 2021 ) (Supplementary Figure 2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Comparison of rockwool and coir for greenhouse cucumber production: chemical element, plant growth, and fruit quality

Ding

Jin

et al. 2022

Heliyon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…vulgare Lam. ( di Lonardo et al., 2021 ). Scagel (2003) reported that the growth of many ericaceous species could be promoted when plants were cultured in media mixed with coir; but the volume of coir in media never contained more than 20%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of rockwool and coir for greenhouse cucumber production: chemical element, plant growth, and fruit quality

Ding

Jin

et al. 2022

Heliyon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Therefore, it is relevant to find more sustainable alternatives. Peat could be replaced by organic waste or renewable materials like pine bark, sewage sludge, eucalyptus bark, biochar, husked rice, coco coir dust, and stabilized wood fiber for environmental benefits [ 16 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extracted Eucalyptus globulus Bark Fiber as a Potential Substrate for Pinus radiata and Quillaja saponaria Germination

Ferrer-Villasmil,

Fuentealba,

Reyes-Contreras

et al. 2024

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aimed to explore alternative substrates for growing forest species using eucalyptus bark. It evaluated the potential of extracted Eucalyptus globulus fiber bark as a substitute for commercial growing media such as coconut fiber, moss, peat, and compost pine. We determined the physicochemical parameters of the growing media, the germination rate, and the mean fresh and dry weights of seedlings. We used the Munoo-Liisa Vitality Index (MLVI) test to evaluate the phytotoxicity of the bark alone and when mixed with commercial substrates. Generally, the best mixture for seed growth was 75% extracted eucalyptus bark fiber and 25% commercial substrates. In particular, the 75E-25P (peat) mixture is a promising substitute for seedling growth of Pinus radiata, achieving up to 3-times higher MLVI than the control peat alone. For Quillaja saponaria, the best growth substrate was the 50E-50C (coconut fiber) mixture, which had the most significant MLVI values (127%). We added chitosan and alginate-encapsulated fulvic acid phytostimulants to improve the performance of the substrate mixtures. The fulvic acid, encapsulated or not, significantly improved MLVI values in Q. saponaria species and P. radiata in concentrations between 0.05 and 0.1% w/v. This study suggests that mixtures with higher levels of extracted fiber are suitable for growing forest species, thus promoting the application of circular economy principles in forestry.

show abstract

“…Currently, most of the substrates used in potted plant production are peat-based [6][7][8][9], but environmental concerns about peatlands [10] due to intense peat mining [11,12] have led researchers and stakeholders to explore alternative and more eco-friendly materials as potting mixes [13][14][15]. In recent years, raw or composted waste by-products, such as mushroom compost [2], paper mill sludge [2,16], almond shell waste [17], and coir (or coconut fiber) [18,19] were tested as a total or partial alternative to peat moss in the growing media, with variable results in terms of growth and quality of plant production. Amongst them, one of the most interesting waste by-products is represented by dredged marine and river sediments [20][21][22][23][24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-Composting of Green Waste and Dredged Sediments Can Reduce the Environmental Impact of the Potted Nursery without Affecting Plant Growth

Nicese,

Azzini,

Lucchetti

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ornamental nursery industry is steadily growing in Europe, and a consequent increase in the demand for substrates related to container plant cultivations is expected in the coming years. Currently, substrates consist in part or entirely of peat, a non-renewable resource with concerns about its environmental impact due to extraction, transport, and use. Therefore, it is essential to focus on alternative materials, particularly waste by-products to be recycled as components of substrates to achieve more sustainable cultivations. In this study, substrates obtained by mixing co-composted dredged sediments (S) and green waste (GW) in different ratios (1:3; 1:1; 3:1) were tested for cultivation, and plant growth was compared with a control growing media (peat and pumice in a 1:1 ratio). The cultivation trial lasted for one year and was carried out on two potted ornamental evergreen shrubs (Photinia × fraseri and Viburnum tinus). The results showed that the plant growth parameters of both species, occurring in substrates with co-composted materials, were not significantly affected compared to the control, with the exception of below-ground biomass in V. tinus. Moreover, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was carried out to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) deriving from the replacement of peat with the other proposed substrates. The functional unit was 10 L (Ø 24 cm) potted plants and the results were expressed in kg of CO2 equivalent (kg CO2eq). We demonstrated that the replacement of peat-based substrates with the alternative substrates was able to reduce the GHG emission by an average of 11.56 to 23.13%. Higher GHG emissions were related to the cultivation phase (0.9 kg CO2eq/plant), and while comparing substrates, we obtained an average percentage reduction of 28.1% to 59.6%. Thus, our results suggest that co-composted mixtures of dredged sediments with green waste could be used as sustainable techno-soils for pot nursery cultivation of ornamental species with reduced environmental impact.

show abstract

Testing new peat-free substrate mixtures for the cultivation of perennial herbaceous species: A case study on Leucanthemum vulgare Lam

Cited by 14 publications

References 48 publications

Comparison of rockwool and coir for greenhouse cucumber production: chemical element, plant growth, and fruit quality

Comparison of rockwool and coir for greenhouse cucumber production: chemical element, plant growth, and fruit quality

Extracted Eucalyptus globulus Bark Fiber as a Potential Substrate for Pinus radiata and Quillaja saponaria Germination

Co-Composting of Green Waste and Dredged Sediments Can Reduce the Environmental Impact of the Potted Nursery without Affecting Plant Growth

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About