Application of different doses of compost for partial or total substitution of the commercial substrate in nursery. Case study on pepper and tomato seedlings

FIASCONARO, MARÍA LAURA; ABRILE MARIANA GUADALUPE; HINTERMEISTER, LUCIA; MA CARMEN ANTOLÍN; LOVATO, MARÍA EUGENIA

Congreso; XXXIII Argentinian meeting of Plant Physiology; 2021

Argentinean Society of Plant Physiology (SAFV)

Purpose. The search for new cultivation substrates arises as a necessity in response to the decrease of peatlands. Our purpose was to evaluate the use of different composts as growing media in the production of vegetable seedlings (pepper and tomato).Method The composts were produced from: discarding carrots (ZC), fats (FC), and biosolids (BC) from the dairy industry. They were applied as total substitutes for peat in different doses according to the species to germinate: control (CS-commercial substrate) and three growing media prepared with perlite: 25, 35, and 45% of ZC, FC, and BC for pepper seedlings and 40, 55 and 70% of ZC, FC, and BC for tomato seedlings. When the plants were ready for transplantation they were harvested and different data were collected to assess the development of the seedlings in the different growth media.Results The results obtained suggest the possibility of total substitution of the CS by compost ZC, FC, and BC to produce pepper and tomato plants in commercial nurseries. The plants cultivated with compost presented a higher concentration of total dry matter compared to the controls. The photosynthetic pigments were affected by the presence of FC and BC, whereas the concentration of TSP was favored by BC.Conclusion Ours results suggest that it is feasible to perform a total substitution of the commercial substrate for the production of pepper and tomato plants in commercial nurseries with composts of different origins and compositions.