Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of substrates formulated with different blends of sand-solarized manure and sand-vermicompost over yield, commercial and phytochemical quality of greenhouse tomatoes, and in addition to determine their benefit-cost (B/C) ratio for organic production of tomato. Six substrates were established consisting in blends of sand with 20, 30 or 40% of solarized manure (SM20, SM30 and SM40), and 20, 30 and 40% of vermicompost (VC20, VC30 and VC40), and control (TA) of sand fertilized with Steiner solution. Fruit yielding, commercial (fruit size, equatorial and longitudinal diameter, firmness, and soluble solids content), and nutraceutical quality (phenolic and lycopene content) were evaluated. In addition, cost-benefit (B/C) ratio of treatments was compared. Micro morphological analysis of the organic materials showed microscopic differences that could affect substrate functional properties. Substrate type affect yielding, and VC40 substrate had a higher yield than SM substrates, but SM20 had the highest phenolic and lycopene content in fruit, in addition to the highest cost-benefit production ratio (2.31). These results confirm that substrates formulated with blends of sand and either SM or VC can be used for organic production of tomato fruits with an adequate commercial and phytochemical quality without affecting yield, additionally to the economic advantages of such substrates for protected agriculture systems.
Highlights
Nowadays, consumers prefer fresh food products with a high nutritive quality as well as chemical-free (Wang and Wu, 2010)
Six substrates were established consisting in blends of sand with 20, 30 or 40% of solarized manure (SM20, SM30 and SM40), and 20, 30 and 40% of vermicompost (VC20, VC30 and VC40), and control (TA) of sand fertilized with Steiner solution
Physical and chemical characteristics of the organic materials used for substrate formulation Solarized manure (SM) and vermicompost (VC) had different chemical characteristics; including pH, and organic matter, potassium and nitrate content (p < 0.05, Table 2)
Summary
Consumers prefer fresh food products with a high nutritive quality as well as chemical-free (Wang and Wu, 2010). A substrate should have important characteristics such a high porosity, low saline content, good mechanical properties, and a low cost; in addition, that it must provide an adequate mechanical support or anchorage to plants, serve as a nutrient and water reservoir, and facilitate oxygen diffusion to roots as well as a good gas interchange (Yeager et al, 2007; Suvo et al, 2017) It is not clearly defined what an organic substrate is, since a soil is considered as organic when it presents organic materials whose organic carbon content is higher than that described for mineral soil materials, as established in the Keys to Soil Taxonomy (USDA, 2014); there is not a delimited classification criterion for an organic substrate. Vermicompost contains humic substances that act as growth regulators (Domínguez et al, 2010), elevates cationic exchange capacity, and increases moisture retention capacity (Hashemimajd et al, 2004) Organic these materials could be used to formulate organic substrates for producing horticultural produce with a high nutritional and commercial quality, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), which is one of the most important vegetable produce worlds widely
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