ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC PAPER Growing of some kind of organic seedling on some animal ts Zoltan Pap 1, Krisztianne Kis 1, Katalin Slezak 1, Yousry A. Bayoumi 2 1 Corvinus University of Budapest, Faculty of Horticultural Sciences, Villányi street 29-43, Budapest, Hungary (zoltan.pap3@uni-corvinus.hu) 2 Kafrelsheikh University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Olericulture branch Egypt. Abstract According to current regulations of Hungarian organic-control organizations, the organic farmers have to use organic seeds and produce organic seedlings for organic vegetable growing. The experiment was started at the end of September in 2008 on the Soroksár Experimental Farm of Corvinus University of Budapest Dep. of Vegetable and Mushroom Growing. Authors prepared soil-tures and these were compared with conventional medium. The experiment transplants were grown on polystyrene trays with 96 cells (cells size is 5x5cm), and 1 tray was divided onto two parcels (1 parcel included 48 seedlings). The authors used 11 treatments with DOMOFLOR peat media with chemical fertilizer as control. Furthermore, the experiment had treatment from tures of coco fibers and or t as well as peat and or t. For experimental plant lettuce (Lactuca sativa Mehari ) and kohlrabi (Brassica rupestris convar. gongylodes Wiener blau ) were chosen. Authors filled the test of germination, and executed measurements of seedling parameters (fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots, diameter of stem, height of seedling). The following conclusions could be determined from results: significant differences of intensity and amount of germination weren t observable. On the view of counted germination and parameters of seedlings the results displayed similar or better quality than recorded plants gave in the control treatments. Almost all of the treatments had very similar effects on treated plants independent on species. Keywords: organic, seedling, transplant, t, Ferticare Introduction Countless aims can be unconditional for the manufacturing of seedlings in vegetable growing. These could mainly affect the life of farmers more and in attempt to be more efficient and profitable with starting the growing season early that is elongation of growing season which is also more profitable, as well as with better utilization of fields, more economical use of expensive seeds and with increased safety of grown yield. While in the last decades one of the most important goal was to boost the earliness, nowadays more widespread use of transplant growing is explained the higher crop production, the better quality and the more safety growing as well. (Mártonffy Rimóczi, 1997)The organic seedling production is needed to suit to two principles: First, the growing substrates have to fit the organic farming disciple (use of chemicals e.g. fertilizers, strong germ-killers, herbicides is forbidden), second, only allowed materials and biological agents (like natural predators, parasites) can be used in organic plant protection (Pap Némethyné Lovas, 2009). In Hungary the most popular substrate is peat (white peat and Hungarian black peat) in industrial size of growing. In addition use of coco- fibre is on the increase in the last 10 years. The reason being that coco fibres have a good biostability after 120 days 585
Vegetable Growing (biostability index BI=92.2 %), also, coco fibres are increasingly used as substrate because they have many characteristics in common with peat. However, a very high variability in physical and chemical properties, according to their origin, is often found (Prasad, 1997). While moss peats or turves are slowly renewable organic materials until coco fibre turns up in huge amount like waste matter year by year. However the latter material came from Far East (e.g. Sri Lanka), and due to transport the price became higher. All of these materials don t include high amount of nutriments, so consequently organic farmers need to compound with other organic materials for preparation of good seedling or plant quality. These full-nutriment substances can be several ts from plants and animalhusbandry s or if there is occasion that used t from mushroom growing, because they count renewable resources. Of course there are regulations for use of ts in organic growing, for example animal t cannot be applicable from intensive conventional husbandry. (Kappel Slezák, 2004) The main subject of this experiment is focusing on the use of organic substrates for several vegetable transplants. The aim of our research is to analyse the nutriment supplier ability of some animal ts. They are in compound with peat or coco nut fibre and the influence of these for seedling developing, health, and growing period in comparing with conventional transplant growing. Materials and methods Research was set in the experimental farm of the Vegetable Section of Horticultural Faculty of Corvinus University of Budapest. Seedlings were grown in green houses with heating opportunity. Some of transplant analyses were measured in laboratory of Department of Vegetable and Mushroom Growing. The tested plants were lettuce (Lactuca sativa Mehari ) and kohlrabi (Brassica rupestris convar. gongylodes Wiener blau ). Seeds were sown to trays with 96 cells. Date of sowing was 26 th of September in 2008; plant growing was closed down in the 5 th week. All of treatments had 4 repetitions. Marking of treatments are shown in Table 1. For substrate tures two types of animal were used in combination with coco fibres and/or peat. While cattle/ t derived from commercial sales (organic cattle t), t came from extensive farm close to the experimental field. Horse t was at least 1 year old. The bigger components of substrates were NOVOBALT peat and coco- fibres. DOMOFLOR MIX was used for control media that is peat ture with fertilizers. Table 2 shows the results of analysis of used substrates. In case of Domoflor (hereinafter referred to as POT-20) it was necessary to use other fertilizer: Ferticare Starter (15-30-15; in 1.1,5% concentration) was given to seedlings until one leaf, after Ferticare I. was given 2% concentration (14-11-25) 1-3 times in every week independent on climatic conditions. Observations, and calculations: germination, height of transplants, diameter of stem, fresh and dry weight of shoot, fresh and dry weight of root, dry material (%), rate of root-shoot (root-shoot index). 586 45 th Croatian & 5 th International Symposium on Agriculture
Table 1. Treatments to be used in experiment with marking* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kontroll KM3 TM3 KLM1 TLM1 KL10 KL20 KL30 TL10 TL20 TL30 POT-20 0 0 5 5 DOMOFLO R MIX peat with fertilizers - Control t (10%) t (20%) t (10%) *Each substrate was ed with hydrated lime (Ca(OH) 2 ) in 5% ratio. t (20%) + t (15-15%) + t (15-15%) Table 2. Results of analysis of used substrates Substrate Number of EC NO - ph value 3 N P 2 O 5 K 2 O code name treatment (ms/cm) (mg/kg) (mg/kg) (mg/kg) POT-20 1 6.03 0.506 898 2250 1600 KL 10 2 6.98 0.187 528 1040 4510 KL 20 3 7.04 0.322 658 2100 4540 KL 30 4 7.08 0.615 729 2220 5100 KM 30 5 6.90 1.056 727 3280 6760 TL 10 6 6.24 0.740 670 1460 2510 TL 20 7 6.05 1.080 790 1980 3700 TL 30 8 5.30 1.080 882 2820 4710 TM 30 9 5.05 1.073 840 2870 3940 KLM 15 10 6.93 0.259 749 2170 4050 TLM 15 11 5.10 0.690 784 2250 2570 Results and discussion It can be observed in Table 1 and 2 that germination was between 89.5 97%. In vegetable growing good and better germination is usual with great variety. F1 hybrids have better germination ability. All of substrates gave adequate results without some huge deviation. In Figure 1 some interest shapes can be observed. Figure shows heights of seedlings and rate of root-shoot index. In case of the treatments 4, 7, 8, 9, 11 of heights study it can be observed that these treatments are apparently higher than control on kohlrabi. In case of lettuce heights that is not noticeable as much but all of treatments reach or exceed the control (1). Additionally it can be noticed that all of height measurements run together. The same movement of rates is perceptible on the other measurement. Rate of root-shoot index shows us root fresh weight quotient and shoot fresh weight. It is possible to get information from the volume of roots. Roots will be larger if rate of root-shoot index approximates to 1. We can find aberration only in the case of treatment 6. Figure 2 shows differences in treatments of seedlings on t versus control. Picture marked KM30 (coco nut fibres with ) gave smaller plants. There were more red colour symptoms on leafs that can show higher level of anthocyanin colour content. Treatment that is marked TM30 ( peat with ) gave one of largest plants in experiment. It is perceptible that seedlings are larger than control transplants. 587
Height (cm) (index) Vegetable Growing Table 3. Results of germination of kohlrabi Table 4. Results of germination of lettuce 30,000 25,000 20,000 0,600 0,500 0,400 15,000 10,000 5,000 0,000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Treatments 0,300 0,200 0,100 0,000 Lettuce - Height (cm) Lettuce - root - leaf index Kohlrabi - Height (cm) Kohlrabi - root - shoot index Figure 1. Comparison of heights and root-shoot index of lettuce and kohlrabi 588 45 th Croatian & 5 th International Symposium on Agriculture
Figure 2. Comparison of treatment 5 (KM30); 9 (TM30); and 1 (Kontroll = Control) Conclusion In our experiment seedling germination and some parameters were the object of examination. We could notice that germination was satisfying on analysed substrates. However germination cannot give sufficient information about the opportunity of seedling growing. Results of transplant parameters gave better information about growing possibilities, and we noticed same results on lettuce and kohlrabi as well. It means that substrates caused the same effect for vegetables, although there were different scales. The reason of differences can be the effect of different plant characters. While kohlrabi is able to give answers with the colour of the leaves, lettuce cannot grow so fast and their leaves will be malformed. In our experiment defects of development were on same treatments on each plant species. It gave information about substrates: nut fibres had effects for smaller shoots and leaf with red colour but for larger root also. One of the reasons for this was the higher amount of potassium of tures of coco fibres substrates. When treatments of coco nut fibres were with t, obstructive effect was smaller. All of peat treatments gave good results for organic seedling growing. An explaination for this can be the lower amount of potassium in tures. Whereas the seedling growing in autumn can give completely different results than spring growing, it would deserve to try these kinds of tests in another growing period as well. References Mártonffy B. Rimóczi I. (1997): Zöldségfélék palántanevelése ( Seedling growing of vegetables ). Vállalkozók könyve 10., Országos Mezőgazdasági Minősítő Intézet, Budapest. Pap Z. Némethyné U. H. Lovas M. (2009): Features and practical improvements of environment supporter seedling production. Agrár- és vidékfejlesztési szemle 4. 2009/1. 54. Kappel N. Slezák K. (2004): Peat substitutes in growing cucumber transplants. International Journal of Horticultural Science 10(1):115-118. Prasad, M. (1997): Physical, chemical and biological properties of coir dust. In: Proceedings of the ISHS International Symposium on growing media and plant nutrition. 2-7 Sept, 1996, Roeber, Freising, Germany. Acta Hort. USA, 21-30. 589