Effect of compost maturity on tomato seedling growth

Y. Hadar*, Y. Inbar, Y. Chen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

A fibrous peat-like material was obtained from digested sludge of cow manure. The slurry was sieved and leached, and the solid fraction was composted. The growth of tomato seedlings on this compost at three degrees of maturity was compared to their growth on peat. The raw material was inhibitory to tomato seedling development. Plants grown in mature compost were the largest in the unfertilized treatment and did not respond to fertilization as well as plants grown on peat. Fertilized plants grown on peat achieved the highest dry weight. The nutrient levels in the plants were compared for the different media and it was assumed that a more extensive fertilization regime may improve tomato growth in the mature compost. Properly produced compost may be a substitute for peat as the organic component of container media.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)199-208
Number of pages10
JournalScientia Horticulturae
Volume27
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1985

Keywords

  • compost
  • growth media
  • peat
  • tomatoes

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