ISHS Acta Horticulturae 50: Symposium on Peat in Horticulture
PEAT SUBSTRATE AS A GROWING MEDIUM FOR CUCUMBERS |
| Authors: | C. Sonneveld, S.J. Voogt |
| Abstract:
The water supply of cucumbers grown in sphagnum peat was investigated in a number of experiments. Various aspects were studied such as quantities of water applied, irrigation systems, drainage systems and water quality. The results showed clearly that a judicious water supply is of great importance for the success of a cucumber crop in peat substrate. Excess water causes the moisture content of the peat to increase to undesirable levels which may result in severe chlorosis. For the same reason, salts which accumulate in the peat cannot be leached in the course of the growing season. This means that the provision of irrigation water of low salinity is essential for successful cropping of cucumbers on peat substrates. The trace element supply was studied in another series of experiments. Various quantities of manganese, boron, zinc and iron were added to the peat. The application of zinc in particular had a beneficial effect on cucumber yields. Manganese also produced a slight increase in yield, but with larger applications manganese toxicity cropped up quickly. Boron and iron had no clear effect on yield. Samples for analyses were drawn from the crop and the substrate at regular intervals. The substrate samples were analysed with the aid of the press extract and the 1 : 1 ½ volume extract. Close correlations for manganese, boron and zinc were found between the analytical data of the press extract and those of cucumber leaves. The trace element contents in the 1 : 1 ½ volume extract were closely correlated with those in the press extract. | |
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