Abstract
Sowing of seedlings is one of the most critical processes on the establishment of a crop, since the future development of the plant depends largely on its health when is planted on the field. Moreover, organic agriculture has to deal with the low application of fertilizers and pesticides, which hinder the growth of seedlings. In this work, we studied the big influence of different mixtures of substrates suitable for organic agriculture based on peat, coconut husk and vermicompost in traditional varieties of tomato, pepper and eggplant. Our results indicate that the use of coconut husk based substrates in organic agriculture can reduce the growth of seedlings between 20 and 30% compared with peat-based substrates. Moreover, the plants growth in this substrate showed lower levels of chlorophyll and lower weight, but the results are strongly dependent on the species tested. Comparison between traditional plants demonstrates that traditional varieties are strongly influenced by the substrate, whereas the growth of a commercial variety of tomato barely differs when different substrates are used. The election of the substrate in organic agriculture is critical to the correct development of the plant, especially when traditional plant varieties are used.
Highlights
Organic farming is based in the minimum use of nonrenewable natural resources and the absence of chemical fertilizers and pesticides
Our results indicate that the use of coconut husk based substrates in organic agriculture can reduce the growth of seedlings between 20 and 30% compared with peat-based substrates
Tomato “Valencia” and pepper growth in substrate Substrate 2 (S2) showed a reduction of 31 and 37% compared with results obtained in substrate Substrate 3 (S3)
Summary
Organic farming is based in the minimum use of nonrenewable natural resources and the absence of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These agricultural methods have been shown to be more environmentally friendly than intensive agriculture, which is dependent on the routine use of herbicides, pesticides and inorganic nutrient applications in the production of crops and animals. The model of organic agriculture results in less leaching of nutrients and higher carbon storage (Drinkwater et al, 1995), less erosion (Reganold et al, 2001), and lower levels of pesticides in water systems (Kreuger et al, 1999). Organic agriculture currently has promising growth levels worldwide (Florez, 2009). The organic sector in the EU has increased over the past 10 years, mainly due to policy support and market demand for organic products (Sahm et al, 2013), turning it in one of the fastest growing sectors of agricultural production
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