Abstract
Traditionally, biochar is generally proposed to substitute Canadian Sphagnum peat moss. Sugarcane bagasse, filter press mud and sugarcane bagasse ash were mixed in different ratios and proposed as an alternative to substitute commercial Sphagnum peat moss (SPM) for the soilless cultivation of tomato (S. lycopersicum Linnaeus). The choice of the agroindustrial waste ratio was performed from physical-chemical sample characterization. During vegetable production, an adequate ratio was evaluated based on plant height, substrate pH, number of leaves, yield, and fruit size. The addition of essential macro- and micro-nutrients was performed manually. The results show that as-received materials contain different minerals with a structure that corresponds to the quartz, cristobalite, and feldspar phases. A morphology composed of lamellate structures was observed for sugarcane bagasse, whereas the filter press mud and the sugarcane bagasse ash presented compact agglomerates with a surface area of 1.60, 3.78, and 1.07 m2 g−1, respectively. The properties of each component promote the water adsorption, retention and releasing capacity. Important differences were observed as the quantity of filter press mud increased, but also it is required an amount of sugarcane bagasse above of 18 wt% to reach a superior performance. This work demonstrated that, in adequate quantities, agroindustrial wastes can be used as a soilless substrate for growing tomatoes in greenhouse, reducing their disposal problems.
Highlights
Worldwide exists a growing crisis in three main categories: energy, water, and food
The substrate rich in crude protein related with the total nitrogen was filter press mud (FPM) (6.94 ± 0.40%) but it was very close to the commercial Sphagnum peat moss (SPM) (6.8 ± 0.9%), whereas that sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) display about 1.3 ± 0.19 and 1.16 ± 0.09%, respectively
The information of the proximate analysis confirmed that an adequate relation between the agroindustrial wastes proposed as substrates can create a system that propitiate both water and air retaining that favoring the plant growth and fruit yield
Summary
Worldwide exists a growing crisis in three main categories: energy, water, and food. Alarmingly, the number of hungry people globally has risen for three consecutive years leading to 2017 up to 821 million people [1]. Two of the main alternatives to diminish climate change are based on the gradual elimination of the energy consumption from fossil fuels and the development of a sustainable agriculture [5]. In Mexico, there are ~52.4 million poor people (43.6% of total population) and another ~62 million people (50.6%) have income below the welfare limit [6]. For this reason, alternatives to improve the food production at low cost with sustainable materials and techniques are highly demanded. It is expected that by 2050, the demand for agricultural products will increase by 100% compared to 2005 [7,8]
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