Development and Validation of Alternative Palm-Derived Substrates for Seedling Production
The constraints associated with peat use in horticulture has led to a search for alternative materials for their use as growing media. The organic materials derived from palm trees (composted or not) can constitute an alternative due to their ligneous and fibrous character, similar to coir fiber. Th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/6/1377 |
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| author | María Pilar Gomis María Dolores Pérez-Murcia Xavier Barber Encarnación Martínez-Sabater Raúl Moral María Ángeles Bustamante |
| author_facet | María Pilar Gomis María Dolores Pérez-Murcia Xavier Barber Encarnación Martínez-Sabater Raúl Moral María Ángeles Bustamante |
| author_sort | María Pilar Gomis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The constraints associated with peat use in horticulture has led to a search for alternative materials for their use as growing media. The organic materials derived from palm trees (composted or not) can constitute an alternative due to their ligneous and fibrous character, similar to coir fiber. This work studies the feasibility of using several palm-tree-derived (<i>Phoenix dactylifera</i> L.) organic materials as growing media ingredients for the transplant production of lettuce (<i>Lactuca sativa</i> L. var. Senna). For this, the following substrates were studied: five mixtures for each palm-derived material (palm trunks and leaves and composts derived from palm trunk and leaves), in the proportions of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% by volume, mixed with coir fiber. Coir fiber at the proportion 100% was used as the control treatment. Physical, physico-chemical, and chemical analyses were conducted on the substrates, and the germination and morphological parameters of the seedlings were examined. Chemometric tools, such as random forest (RF) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were also used to evaluate the data obtained. The type and proportion of material used in the growing media principally affected the parameters studied in the lettuce seedlings. The substrates with a percentage of compost lower than 60% showed behavior closer to that observed in the growing media with 100% coir fiber and with the mixture of coir fiber and palm leaves or trunks at all proportions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:39:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c3319b8dcd34e69a56de065df77e749 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:39:02Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c3319b8dcd34e69a56de065df77e7492023-11-23T15:10:49ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952022-06-01126137710.3390/agronomy12061377Development and Validation of Alternative Palm-Derived Substrates for Seedling ProductionMaría Pilar Gomis0María Dolores Pérez-Murcia1Xavier Barber2Encarnación Martínez-Sabater3Raúl Moral4María Ángeles Bustamante5Agro-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation Center (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernandez University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra Beniel Km. 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, SpainAgro-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation Center (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernandez University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra Beniel Km. 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, SpainCentro de Investigación Operativa (CIO-UMH), Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avda. Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche, SpainAgro-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation Center (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernandez University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra Beniel Km. 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, SpainAgro-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation Center (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernandez University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra Beniel Km. 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, SpainAgro-Food and Agro-Environmental Research and Innovation Center (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernandez University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra Beniel Km. 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, SpainThe constraints associated with peat use in horticulture has led to a search for alternative materials for their use as growing media. The organic materials derived from palm trees (composted or not) can constitute an alternative due to their ligneous and fibrous character, similar to coir fiber. This work studies the feasibility of using several palm-tree-derived (<i>Phoenix dactylifera</i> L.) organic materials as growing media ingredients for the transplant production of lettuce (<i>Lactuca sativa</i> L. var. Senna). For this, the following substrates were studied: five mixtures for each palm-derived material (palm trunks and leaves and composts derived from palm trunk and leaves), in the proportions of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% by volume, mixed with coir fiber. Coir fiber at the proportion 100% was used as the control treatment. Physical, physico-chemical, and chemical analyses were conducted on the substrates, and the germination and morphological parameters of the seedlings were examined. Chemometric tools, such as random forest (RF) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were also used to evaluate the data obtained. The type and proportion of material used in the growing media principally affected the parameters studied in the lettuce seedlings. The substrates with a percentage of compost lower than 60% showed behavior closer to that observed in the growing media with 100% coir fiber and with the mixture of coir fiber and palm leaves or trunks at all proportions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/6/1377compost<i>Phoenix dactylifera</i> L.horticultural cropscoir fibergrowing mediachemometric tools |
| spellingShingle | María Pilar Gomis María Dolores Pérez-Murcia Xavier Barber Encarnación Martínez-Sabater Raúl Moral María Ángeles Bustamante Development and Validation of Alternative Palm-Derived Substrates for Seedling Production Agronomy compost <i>Phoenix dactylifera</i> L. horticultural crops coir fiber growing media chemometric tools |
| title | Development and Validation of Alternative Palm-Derived Substrates for Seedling Production |
| title_full | Development and Validation of Alternative Palm-Derived Substrates for Seedling Production |
| title_fullStr | Development and Validation of Alternative Palm-Derived Substrates for Seedling Production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and Validation of Alternative Palm-Derived Substrates for Seedling Production |
| title_short | Development and Validation of Alternative Palm-Derived Substrates for Seedling Production |
| title_sort | development and validation of alternative palm derived substrates for seedling production |
| topic | compost <i>Phoenix dactylifera</i> L. horticultural crops coir fiber growing media chemometric tools |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/6/1377 |
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