Effectiveness of different biochars and compost as substrates for tomato and basil plants growth and impact on monoterpenes leaves content
Carbonyzed organic matters like biochar, that can be produced from organic waste by pyrolysis, represent a possible sustainable substitute for peat in substrates for nursery plants. Peatlands are very fragile ecosystems and new materials for potting substrates are highly required, indeed. However, the impact of biochar application in soilless substrates and how it can affect plants growth and quality of the production it is still little investigated. In this study we tested the potential of selected biochars from different waste materials (rice husks, chitin from shrimps¿ shells, gardening peat, green waste of tomato plants and pruning of urban trees) and a composted biochar, as peat substitute. Different substitution rates, 100, 60, 50, 30 and 25 % were tested on basil and tomato seedlings in a nursery trial, evaluating both growing and quality parameters of the plants. The results showed that, with the exception of biochar from chitin, all the tested biochars showed too high pH and EC values for being optimal growing media. High substitution rates of biochar and compost even resulted in seedlings death after few days from transplantation. Best plant growth parameters were obtained with commercial peat. Peat substitution with both biochars and compost negatively affected color parameters of basil leaves and their total content of aromatic compounds, too. Overall, our results would not support the massive use of alternative media such as charred materials or composted wastes as a valid strategy to reduce the use of peat in potting substrates.
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | póster de congreso biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
European Confederation of Soil Science Societies
2021-08-23
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/277854 |
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