Evaluation of Plant Growth on Expanded Black Cotton Soil

Samwel Nyakach,Seth F.O Owido,Japheth O Onyando

doi:10.5539/sar.v7n2p41

Abstract

In aggregate hydroponics, the suitability of a particular medium is often guided by its physical properties. However these may not provide adequate evaluation. By growing a crop, the growth characteristics can also be used to guide medium preparation and selection. Tomatoes (Anna F1 variety) were grown in containers under a greenhouse and provided with equal amount of nutrient solution. The expanded black cotton soil was prepared by mixing with rice husk at a ratio of 90:10, fired at 750oC for 30 minutes and size reduced to various textures. The crops planted in the expanded clay aggregates performed better than the black cotton soil both in terms of stem elongation and enlargement due to improved drainage, nutrient flow and aeration conditions. The root length density was 25654 m m-3 in black cotton soil, being the highest and lowest in the coarse aggregates which had 9433 m m-3.

Highlights

Expanded clay has been applied in various forms to aggregate hydroponic systems
The expanded black cotton soil was prepared by mixing with rice husk at a ratio of 90:10, fired at 750oC for 30 minutes and size reduced to various textures
The crops planted in the expanded clay aggregates performed better than the black cotton soil both in terms of stem elongation and enlargement due to improved drainage, nutrient flow and aeration conditions

Summary

Introduction

Expanded clay has been applied in various forms to aggregate hydroponic systems. These systems use inert solid material which has most of the desirable physical properties of soil such as, being friable, good water holding properties, aerated and well drained. Nyakach et al (2017) concluded that black cotton soils can be converted into aggregate hydroponic medium in this way improving on its physical characteristics to make it light weight with low bulk density, enabling it to remain loose and friable over wide ranges of moisture contents, drain and have moderate permeability to permit water and nutrient movement through it. These parameters may not adequately describe the performance of the expanded black cotton soil as a plant growth medium the need for further evaluation in terms of effect on stem growth and root development. The root system has been found to have more surface area than the shoot system (Wahome et al, 2011)

Materials and the Methods

Results and Discussion

C2 C3 CL1 CL2 CL3 CL4 M1 M2 M3 M4 F1 F2 F3

Conclusion