Environmental and agronomic performance of fresh rice hulls used as growing medium component for Cyclamen persicum L. pot plants

Abstract

The issue of environmental compatibility of some specialized agricultural sectors is becoming more appealing to both consumers and growers. Growing medium components that are non-renewable, or partly renewable, such as perlite and peat, are among the production factors which can be modified by growers in the short term.In this study a 'gate to gate' life cycle assessment was performed for a floral commodity, Cyclamen persicum Mill., grown in four different substrates formulated by blending expanded perlite (EP) (at 10% v/v) or fresh rice hulls (FRH)(10%, 30% and 50% v/v) with sphagnum peat.Results of the LCIA show that growing media components have a relevant share of impact for this production phase, along with greenhouse materials, plastic pots, fertilizer and plant protection products. Peat and EP replacement with a small amount of FRH can slightly improve the environmental performance for AD and GWP categories.Growth trials showed that substitution of EP with equal amount of FRH does not affect plant quality, but higher amounts increase water and fertilizer requirements not only reduces plant performance but also worsen the ecoprofile of the functional unit for most impact categories.