ISHS Acta Horticulturae 761: XXVII International Horticultural Congress - IHC2006: International Symposium on Advances in Environmental Control, Automation and Cultivation Systems for Sustainable, High-Quality Crop Production under Protected Cultivation
YIELD AND FRUIT QUALITY RESPONSE OF SWEET PEPPER PLANTS CULTIVATED IN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SUBSTRATES |
| Authors: | F.M. del Amor, G. Ortuño, M.D. Gómez, F. Vicente, A.J. García |
| Keywords: | substrate, rice hulls, urea formaldehyde foam, coconut fiber, Capsicum annuum L. |
| Abstract:
In recent decades use of the soilless cultivation method has increased significantly due to the use of methyl bromide as a soil disinfectant between crop cycles is or will be banned soon. New types of substrates are increasing in the same way with the objective of increasing yield and quality with respect to the plants grown in the soil. In this way, we studied four types of substrates: coconut fiber, rice hulls, urea formaldehyde foam, and rice hull mixed with polyacrylamide crystals (water absorber). In order to evaluate initially the response of yield and quality, the sweet pepper irrigation management was set according to the coconut fiber substrate widely used in the area. The results show that drainage increased by 90 and 85% for the rice hulls and rice+polyacrylamide treatments and was reduced by 28% in the urea formaldehyde foam, compared with the coconut substrate. No significant differences were found for the fruit shape index, pulp thickness, color or marketable fruit yield, but fruits grown in the coconut fiber increased pulp firmness. Additionally, no significant differences were observed for total-N in leaves, stems or fruits but roots grown in the urea formaldehyde foam increased total-N by 21.8% and 23.5% compared with the coconut fiber or the rice hulls respectively. These results show the potential use and irrigation management for the studied substrates, in order to establish individualized criteria for the control of water and nutrient demand. | |
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