Abstract
Substrate is a factor that significantly influences the quality and production costs of nursery seedlings. The objective of this study was to evaluate combinations of peat moss, composted pine bark, and fresh pine sawdust in order to identify the proportions that favour the quality of Pinus engelmannii Carr. seedlings and minimise the production costs in the nursery. Substrates were formed using mixtures of peat moss (15% to 50%), composted pine bark (15% to 50%) and fresh pine sawdust (20% to 70%), with 2, 4 and 6 g L−1 of controlled release fertilizer (Multicote®, Haifa, Israel). A completely randomised experimental design with a factorial arrangement of 7 × 3 was used. The evaluated factors are root collar diameter, biomass, N-P-K content, and production costs of the substrates which were determined based on the container volume and three commercial quotations. Significant differences were found in root collar diameter and biomass, highlighting the treatments using 50% to 70% sawdust with 6 g L−1 of fertilizer. Assimilated values of N-P-K were acceptable in all treatments with 4 and 6 g L−1 of fertilizer. In the substrates with high percentages of sawdust, seedlings with morphological characteristics and nutritional levels within the values recommended for conifers were produced. In addition, it was possible to reduce the production cost of the substrates by up to 67%.
Highlights
Mexico has 42% of the world’s total number of Pinus species, of which 47% are found naturally in the state of Durango in northwest Mexico [1]
We propose the hypothesis that substrates which include high proportions of fresh sawdust in combination with controlled release fertilizers, allow the production of P. engelmannii seedlings with adequate morphological characteristics for optimal development, while reducing production costs
The sowing was performed in polystyrene containers of 77 cavities with 170 mL per cavity, using seeds of P. engelmannii that had been collected in the Coyote de Calaveras, an area which is located in Durango
Summary
Mexico has 42% of the world’s total number of Pinus species, of which 47% are found naturally in the state of Durango in northwest Mexico [1]. Within this great diversity, Pinus engelmannii Carr. Stands out due to its wide distribution in semi-dry and temperate forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental, which is a system of mountains in the west of Mexico This species is found on hillsides of between. Forests 2018, 9, 678 this species is important due to the characteristics of the wood, which makes it widely used in reforestation programmes and commercial forest plantations. It is the second most produced species in forest nurseries in northern Mexico [4,5,6]
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