Poinsettia Growth and Development Response to Container Root Substrate with Biochar

A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the growth and development of poinsettia ‘Prestige Red’ (Euphorbia pulcherrima) grown in a commercial peat-based potting mix (Sunshine Mix #1) amended with biochar at 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, or 100% (by volume) at four different fertigation regimes: F1: 1...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yanjun Guo, Genhua Niu, Terri Starman, Astrid Volder, Mengmeng Gu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-01-01
Series:Horticulturae
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/4/1/1
_version_ 1818972789740142592
author Yanjun Guo
Genhua Niu
Terri Starman
Astrid Volder
Mengmeng Gu
author_facet Yanjun Guo
Genhua Niu
Terri Starman
Astrid Volder
Mengmeng Gu
author_sort Yanjun Guo
collection DOAJ
description A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the growth and development of poinsettia ‘Prestige Red’ (Euphorbia pulcherrima) grown in a commercial peat-based potting mix (Sunshine Mix #1) amended with biochar at 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, or 100% (by volume) at four different fertigation regimes: F1: 100 to 200 mg·L−1 nitrogen (N), F2: 200 to 300 mg·L−1 N (control), F3: 300 to 400 mg·L−1 N, or F4: 400 to 500 mg·L−1 N. The experiment was a two-factor factorial design with 10 replications for each combination of biochar by fertigation. As the percentage of biochar increased, root substrate pore space and bulk density increased, while container capacity decreased. Root rot and red bract necrosis only occurred in F4 combined with 100% biochar. Plants grown in 40% biochar had a similar growth and development to those in 0% biochar. Up to 80% biochar, plants exhibited no significant change, except in terms of dry weight, which decreased at higher biochar percentages (60% and 80%). In summary, at a fertigation rate of 100 mg·L−1 N to 400 mg·L−1 N, up to 80% biochar could be used as an amendment to peat-based root substrate with acceptable growth reduction and no changes in quality.
first_indexed 2024-12-20T15:13:51Z
format Article
id doaj.art-8392c9c7f4aa49f18b6dc43933532a0c
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2311-7524
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-20T15:13:51Z
publishDate 2018-01-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Horticulturae
spelling doaj.art-8392c9c7f4aa49f18b6dc43933532a0c2022-12-21T19:36:14ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242018-01-0141110.3390/horticulturae4010001horticulturae4010001Poinsettia Growth and Development Response to Container Root Substrate with BiocharYanjun Guo0Genhua Niu1Terri Starman2Astrid Volder3Mengmeng Gu4Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2133 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USATexas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M University System, 1380 A&M Circle, El Paso, TX 79927, USADepartment of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2133 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartment of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USADepartment of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, College Station, TX 77843, USAA greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the growth and development of poinsettia ‘Prestige Red’ (Euphorbia pulcherrima) grown in a commercial peat-based potting mix (Sunshine Mix #1) amended with biochar at 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, or 100% (by volume) at four different fertigation regimes: F1: 100 to 200 mg·L−1 nitrogen (N), F2: 200 to 300 mg·L−1 N (control), F3: 300 to 400 mg·L−1 N, or F4: 400 to 500 mg·L−1 N. The experiment was a two-factor factorial design with 10 replications for each combination of biochar by fertigation. As the percentage of biochar increased, root substrate pore space and bulk density increased, while container capacity decreased. Root rot and red bract necrosis only occurred in F4 combined with 100% biochar. Plants grown in 40% biochar had a similar growth and development to those in 0% biochar. Up to 80% biochar, plants exhibited no significant change, except in terms of dry weight, which decreased at higher biochar percentages (60% and 80%). In summary, at a fertigation rate of 100 mg·L−1 N to 400 mg·L−1 N, up to 80% biochar could be used as an amendment to peat-based root substrate with acceptable growth reduction and no changes in quality.http://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/4/1/1biocharalternative substrategas exchangesvisual quality
spellingShingle Yanjun Guo
Genhua Niu
Terri Starman
Astrid Volder
Mengmeng Gu
Poinsettia Growth and Development Response to Container Root Substrate with Biochar
Horticulturae
biochar
alternative substrate
gas exchanges
visual quality
title Poinsettia Growth and Development Response to Container Root Substrate with Biochar
title_full Poinsettia Growth and Development Response to Container Root Substrate with Biochar
title_fullStr Poinsettia Growth and Development Response to Container Root Substrate with Biochar
title_full_unstemmed Poinsettia Growth and Development Response to Container Root Substrate with Biochar
title_short Poinsettia Growth and Development Response to Container Root Substrate with Biochar
title_sort poinsettia growth and development response to container root substrate with biochar
topic biochar
alternative substrate
gas exchanges
visual quality
url http://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/4/1/1
work_keys_str_mv AT yanjunguo poinsettiagrowthanddevelopmentresponsetocontainerrootsubstratewithbiochar
AT genhuaniu poinsettiagrowthanddevelopmentresponsetocontainerrootsubstratewithbiochar
AT terristarman poinsettiagrowthanddevelopmentresponsetocontainerrootsubstratewithbiochar
AT astridvolder poinsettiagrowthanddevelopmentresponsetocontainerrootsubstratewithbiochar
AT mengmenggu poinsettiagrowthanddevelopmentresponsetocontainerrootsubstratewithbiochar