Open AccessEvaluation of physicochemical properties and enzymatic activity of organic substrates during four crop cycles in soilless containers
Author(s) -
Guerra Pedro A. Mejia,
Salas Sanjúan Maria del Carmen,
López Maria J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
food science and nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.614
H-Index - 27
ISSN - 2048-7177
DOI - 10.1002/fsn3.757
Subject(s) - vermicompost , chemistry , nutrient , organic matter , hydroponics , food science , crop , agronomy , organic chemistry , biology
Background Organic soilless production in containers requires substrates with appropriate physicochemical and biological properties to ensure that production is sustainable and profitable for several production cycles. The main objective of this study was to comprehensively evaluate these properties in three different mixtures of organic substrates (vermicompost [V] and coconut fibers [ CF ] in ratios 20V80 CF , 40V60 CF , 60V40 CF ) for four horticultural crop production cycles ( PC s) using vermicompost tea ( VT ) as the main source of nutrients. Results Readily available water (25%) in the control treatment (20V80 CF ) was below the recommended limit, and dry bulk density (>450 g/L) surpassed the recommended limit in the 60V40 CF treatment ( p < 0.05). In terms of chemical properties, cations and anions in the saturated media extract decreased significantly to values below established optimal conditions. Furthermore, the substrates presented high enzymatic activity in successive production cycles ( p < 0.05), including dehydrogenase (350–400 μg TFF g −1 ), acid phosphatase (4,700 μg p‐nitrophenol g −1 soil hr −1 ), and β‐glucosidase (1,200 μg p‐nitrophenol g −1 soil hr −1 ) activity during transformation from organic matter to inorganic compounds. Conclusion The 40V60 CF treatment presents adequate physicochemical and biological characteristics for reuse for more than four growing cycles when organic supplements are administered.