Effect of date palm wastes and rice hull mixed with soil on growth and yield of cucumber in greenhouse culture

Ahmad Mohammadi Ghehsareh

doi:10.1186/2251-7715-2-17

Abstract

Different substrates have several materials which could have direct and/or indirect effects on plant growth and development. The use of different organic and inorganic substrates allows that plants have best nutrient uptake and sufficient growth and development to optimize water and oxygen holding. This work was carried out using a completely randomized design with six treatments and six replications. The treatments were pure palm peat, pure rice hull, soil+5% (weight) palm peat, soil+5% (weight) rice hull, soil+5% (weight) palm peat+5% (weight) rice hull and pure soil. During plant growth Papadopolus formula with fertigation method was used for nutrient solution. Selected physiochemical properties of culture media and selected growth indices of plants were measured at the end of growth period. Results showed that amount of porosity, water holding capacity (WHC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) in date-palm peat was higher than soil and rice hull but amount of bulk density in date-Palm peat was lower than the others. Also The results showed that many growth parameters were affected by the culture media. Most amount of yield and plant height in each was related to palm waste (100%) and had significant difference at 5% level as compared with the others. Results showed that plant growing indices for cucumber plant were sufficient when cultured only in date Palm waste and rice hull substrates and when this materials were added to the soil, although it amended physiochemical properties of media but decreased the plant growing indices.

Highlights

Potassium (K) fixation is common in most soils, and this underscores the importance of the nutrient addition as fertilizer nutrient and its availability to plants
All the studied soil was acidic in nature; this may be due to the soil management practices or the sandy texture could have promoted the leaching of soil basic cations
Low values were observed for effective cation exchange capacity and exchangeable acidity in the soil samples; these could be a result of washing out of exchangeable bases in the soil (Olatunji et al 2007)

Summary

Introduction

Potassium (K) fixation is common in most soils, and this underscores the importance of the nutrient addition as fertilizer nutrient and its availability to plants. Omueti and Laukullich (1988) reported that the presence of aluminum (Al) in soil interlayer 2:1 and mixed-layered silicates exhibit a pronounced affinity for K. This may invariably modify K exchange reactions and availability to crops in highly weathered soils of the tropics. It is established that K released from micaceous clays like muscovite or biotite occurs when there is exchange between the K and hydrated cations; it may be as a result of mica dissolution which takes place before the formation of weathering products The importance of these two (muscovite and biotite) in K chemistry is based on the stability of mica and soil environments (Sparks 2000). This is even more important in Nigeria where the soils are mostly deficient in K and large quantities of the animal manures

Methods

Results

Conclusion