Year: 1989
Type: article
Abstract: Pecan shells, a waste product of the nut processing industry, were evaluated as a potential container medium component. Raw shells need to be hammer-milled or otherwise transformed into a physically consistent product. Shells were acidic (pH 4.8) and low in soluble salts and water-extractable nutrients. Four shell-based media (100% milled pecan shells, 3 shells: 1 sand, 1 shells: 1 sand, and 1 shells: 3 sand, v/v) were evaluated. Control medium was 1.5 Canadian sphagnum peat: 1 perlite (v/v). Growth of begonia ( Begonia semperflorens Link and Otto ‘Scarlet’) and tomato plants ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. ‘Rutgers’) increased linearly as percentage of sand was increased from 0% to 75%. Begonias grown in the 1 shell : 3 sand mix equaled growth and quality of control plants. None of the tomato plants in shell-based media were comparable in growth to the control, because of phytotoxic substances associated with shells and the inadequacy of easily available water of shell-based media. Ilex × ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ grown in shell-based media were equivalent in size and quality to those in peat-perlite.
Source: HortScience
Authors: Tsai-Yih Wang, Franklin A. Pokorny
Institutions: National Chung Hsing University, University of Georgia
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,000
OpenAlex ID: W25413872