(13) GERANIUM GROWTH WITH BROILER LITTER SUBSTRATE. M. Delgado 1* J.V. Martín 1, R. Miralles de Imperial 1 C. León- Cófreces 2 M. C.

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1 (13) GERANIUM GROWTH WITH BROILER LITTER SUBSTRATE M. Delgado 1* J.V. Martín 1, R. Miralles de Imperial 1 C. León- Cófreces 2 M. C. García 2 1 Department of Environment, INIA, Madrid, Spain. Ctra. La Coruña Km 7. Madrid delgado@inia.es 2 Agricultural Technological Institute of Castilla and Leon, Finca Zamadueñas, Valladolid, Castilla and Leon, Spain. ABSTRACT Broiler litter was a mixture of chicken excreta, bedding, and other materials generated during broiler production (e.g., soil, feathers, insects, remaining food, water, etc.). Bedding material was used to absorb droppings and to facilitate removal of excreta. The litter was removed after chickens were raised and was replaced with fresh bedding material. The removed litter was applied to crops or pastures as fertilizer due to its high nutrient content, especially phosphorus and nitrogen. Geranium is an important garden plant in Spain. A pot plant greenhouse experiment was carried out with geranium (Pelargonium zonale (L.) L Her) cv. Victor Pacvi. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of two types of broiler litter: straw (SB) and wood shavings (WSB) mixtured with commercial substrate (CS) and sphagnum peat (SP) on growth, quality and biomass parameters. The best response was obtained with CS and their mixtures; 90%CS+10%SB the first and 90%CS+10%WSB the second in terms of stem length (SL), root length (RL), leaf numbers (LN), flower numbers (FN) and dry weight final biomass (DWB). The geranium culture in SP and their mixtures was not a good grown but the parameters studied were improved with 90%SP+10%SB and 90%SP+10%WSB. INTRODUCTION The geranium is one of the ornamental plants more used in Spain, by his colourful and his rusticity, in public and private gardening, terraces and the traditional decoration in pots of the courts. Actually in Spain there is a really problem with the plague of geranium s butterfly (Cacyreus marshalli Butler), the mortality are very high (Alós and García Mari, 2004; Sarto and Monteys, 1999), for that reason perennial geranium practically is becoming in an annual plant. Nursery geranium plant production is in this moment an interesting activity for the increase of the demand. Organic manures have traditionally been applied to improve the fertility of soils. Land application of organic manures was a waste disposal practice (Nicholson et al., 2003). The increased intensification of poultry production generates annually in the Castilla León Community of Spain a large quantity of poultry manure (Delgado et al., 2007; Garcia et al., 2007). Broiler litter is normally in the form of excreta mixed with bedding material generally wood shavings (WSB) or straw (SB). Peat moss is the most widely used sourced as bedding plant growth horticoles substrates, peat is a non renovable source, and other compositions were used for substituting partially the peat (Ansorena, 1994; Burés, 1997). The maximum proportion of organic residues incorporated in substitution of peat is between 20 and 40% per volume (Gauthier et al., 1998).

2 The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the responses of pot plant geranium grow to commercial plant growing media (CS) or sphagnum peat media (SP) substituted by broiler litter like SB and WSB, in growing parameters: stem length (SL), root length (RL), leaf numbers (LN), flower numbers (FN) and dry weight final biomass (DWB). MATERIALS AND METHODS The experiment with geranium was carried out at INIA of Madrid (Spain) in a greenhouse, during three months, at the end of April to the end of July, in controlled conditions of temperature and humidity. The geranium plants were bought directly to the producer; they were produced from in vitro culture. We used plastic pots of 14 cm diameter for geranium s transplanting that filled up with the corresponding substrates. The substrates used were: 0%, 10%, 25% and 50% of straw of barley-broiler litter (SB) and wood shaving-broiler litter (WSB), provided from two poultry farms in Castilla León. Table 1 shows ph and the EC of the potting growing media and their mixtures. Table 1- ph and electrical conductivity of the substrates Substrates ph 1:5 H 2 O Electrical conductivity 1:5 H 2 O dsm CS CS+ 10SB CS+ 10WSB CS+ 25SB CS+ 25WSB CS+ 50SB CS+ 50WSB SP SP+ 10SB SP+ 10WSB SP+ 25SB SP+ 25WSB SP+ 50SB SP+ 50WSB Chemical Determinations The ph was obtained with a glass electrode, using a ratio substrate water of 1:5, electric conductivity was determined in conductivimeter (substrate/water ratio, 1:5). After 90 days of culture the plants were extracted of the substrate and the controlled parameters: SL, RL, LN, FN and DWB. Geranium plants were oven dried at 65 o C, and weighed for dry matter biomass DWB. The experimental design was a completely randomized design, with two types of peat: CS and SP, and two broiler litter: SB and WSB, six mixtures, and four repetitions by mixture.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results showed that the geranium had a negative response to the mixtures of broiler litter (SB and WSB) of 50% and 75% produced in the short term, the death of the plant. This could be due to the electrical conductivity (EC), because it increased (7 dsm -1 ) when broiler litter was added to the mixture. We obtained in our experiment the best average of 20 leaf numbers (LN) with 90%CS+10%SB and 19 leaf numbers (LN) for 90%CS+10%WSB, after three months of geranium culture in different substrates (Table 2). Table 2 - Average of leaf numbers (LN), flower numbers (FN) and dry weight final biomass (DWB), of geranium cultivated in commercial substrate (CS) 100% or sphagnum peat (SP) 100%, and their mixtures: 90%CS+10%SB; 90%CS+10%WSB; 90%SP+10%SB; 90%PS+10%WSB; with broiler litter and straw (SB) or wood shavings (WSB), after three months grown. Substrates LN FN DWB 100CS CS+ 10SB CS+ 10WSB SP SP+ 10SB SP+ 10WSB g Gauthier et al. (1998) obtained a good geranium quality with 5 and 25% of organic residues. In our experiment we obtained a good geranium quality with CS and 10% of broiler litter. The optimum substrates values of electrical conductivity (EC) and ph are very important to obtain a good grown and quality in geranium plant. Smith et al. (2004) in an experiment with geraniums reinforced the importance of maintaining substrate ph and EC in a moderate range, for healthy geranium plant growth. Figure 1 represents the average in geranium plant of stems and roots length obtained after three months of culture commercial substrate (CS) versus sphagnum peat (SP) and their mixtures.

4 25 20 length cm Stem length (SL) CS Root length (RL) CS Stem length (SL) SP Root length (RL) SP SB 90+10WSB Figure 1. Average of stem (SL) and root (RL) length (cm) of geranium cultivated in commercial substrate (CS) 100% or sphagnum peat (SP) 100%, and their mixtures with broiler litter and straw (SB) or wood shavings (WSB), 90%CS+10%SB; 90%CS+10%WSB; 90%SP+10%SB; 90%PS+10%WSB; after three months grown. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to INIA for funding this study as part of the CO2-01 project. The authors wish to extend their sincere thanks to Mr. Jesus L. Garcia for the agricultural labour, Mrs. Mª Isabel Gonzalez and Mrs. Angela Garcia for their help in analytical work. CONCLUSIONS After three months of geranium culture in different substrates we obtained in our experiment the best average of twenty LN with 90%CS+10%SB and nineteen LN for 90%CS+10%WSB. The average of two FN was the same with CS and its mixtures, with SP there wasn t any flowers. The two higher DWB was obtained with 90%CS+10%SB and 90%CS+10%WSB. With SP the higher DWB was obtained with 90%SP+10%WSB. The best average of ST and RL geranium were obtained with CS and its mixtures. LITERATURE CITED Alós J., Garcia Mari F Diferencias de sensibilidad al minador Cacyreus marshalli (Lepidopteera: Lycaenidae) en variedades ornamentales de geranios (Pelargonium peltatum y P. zonale). Phytoma España. 161, Ansorena J Sustratos propiedades y caracterización. Ediciones Mundi Prensa. Madrid. 172 p.

5 Arrieta V., Terés V., Esnaola I., Olabarria I Ensayo comparativo de diferentes sustratos para cultivo en contenedor de Pelargonium. II Congreso Ibérico de Ciencias Hortícolas. Tomo 2. Colección Monografías INIA. INIA. Madrid. núm Burés S Sustratos. Ediciones Agrotécnicas. Madrid. 342 p. Delgado M. M., Miralles de Imperial R., Martín J. V., León C., García M.C Residuos avícolas procedentes de granjas de gallinas ponedoras y granjas de pollos de engorde. Tierras de Castilla y León. Agricultura. 135, García M.C., León C., Delgado M. M., Miralles de Imperial R., Martín J. V Caracterización, manejo y diferencias entre los residuos procedentes de granjas ponedoras y pollos broiler en explotaciones de Castilla y León. Gauthier F.; Gagnon S., Dansereau B Incorporation de résidus organiques dans un substrat tourbeux pour la production d impatiens et de géraniums. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 78 (1), Miralles de Imperial R., Martín J.V., García M.C., León C., Delgado M.M Respuesta del geranio cultivado en sustratos con gallinaza. In: Sustainable Agriculture workshop Universidad de Granma. Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas. Bayamo, Cuba. Nicholson F.A., Chambers B.J., Dampney P.M.R Nitrogen value of poultry litter applications to root crops and following cereal crops. Journal of Agricultural Science. Sarto I Monteys V El taladro de los geranios, Cacyreus marshalli, una plaga foránea procedente de África sudoriental. Phytoma España. 113, Smith B.R., Fisher P.R., Argo W.R Water soluble fertilizer concentration and ph of a peat based substrate affect growth, nutrient uptake, and chlorosis of container grown seed geraniums. Journal of Plant Nutrition. 27 (3),