Abstract
In the last decade, organic production has been the fastest growing segment in U.S. agriculture. With increase in organic acreages there is a strong and growing demand for organically grown transplants. As a result of limited commercial availability of certified vegetable transplants, growers often produce their transplants on-farm. Commercial organic mixes for organic transplant production may not be locally available and are usually expensive. Growers often design their own mixes using compost and other organic amendments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incorporation of alfalfa-based amendment in a peat-compost medium for organic tomato transplant production. Growing medium of 2 peat:1 vermiculite:1 compost (by volume) was amended with 0%, 0.6%, 1.2%, 1.8%, or 2.4% weight by weight of alfalfa-based organic amendment and incubated for 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks. Medium pH and electrical conductivity (EC), seed germination (untreated Solanum Lycopersicon L. ‘Mountain Fresh’ seed), transplant dry weight, height, stem diameter, and SPAD values were measured. Medium pH increased with addition of alfalfa-based amendment but remained within the range of 5.5 to 7.0. Germination percentages were less than 50% in amended medium that was either not incubated or incubated for 4 weeks. Germination was greater than 75% if amended media were incubated for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Seeds grown in peat-compost without any amendments had the highest germination rates; however, severe nutrient deficiency suppressed seedling growth. Relative to growth in medium with no amendments, plants growing in the amended medium had increased stem diameter, height, leaf chlorophyll content, and plant dry weight (90% to 160% more), provided the amended medium was incubated for at least 1 week. Application rate of 0.6% or 1.2% of alfalfa-based amendment produced transplants with suitable growth characteristics and met commercially acceptable standards for transplanting and handling at a reasonable estimated cost.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Alfalfa amendment increased medium pH within 5.5 to 7.0.
- Taxon
- Tomato
Solanum lycopersicumt0 - Treatment
- alfalfa-based amendmente0
- Outcome
- Medium pHe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 5.5 to 7.0e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Medium pH increased with addition of alfalfa-based amendment but remained within the range of 5.5 to 7.0.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination was under 50% without incubation or after four weeks.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- amended mediume0
- Outcome
- Germination percentagese0
- Direction
- less thane0
- Value
- 50%e0
- Qualifier
- not incubated or incubated for 4 weekse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Germination percentages were less than 50% in amended medium that was either not incubated or incubated for 4 weeks.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination exceeded 75% after one to three weeks of incubation.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- amended mediae0
- Outcome
- Germinatione0
- Direction
- greater thane0
- Value
- 75%e0
- Qualifier
- incubated for 1, 2, or 3 weekse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Germination was greater than 75% if amended media were incubated for 1, 2, or 3 weeks.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Unamended peat-compost had the highest germination.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- peat-compost without any amendmentse0
- Outcome
- germination ratese0
- Direction
- higheste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seeds grown in peat-compost without any amendments had the highest germination rates”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Severe nutrient deficiency suppressed seedling growth in the unamended medium.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- seedling growthe0
- Direction
- suppressede0
- Qualifier
- severe nutrient deficiencye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seeds grown in peat-compost without any amendments had the highest germination rates; however, severe nutrient deficiency suppressed seedling growth.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Amendment with at least one week of incubation increased stem diameter, height and chlorophyll.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- amended mediume0
- Outcome
- stem diameter, height, leaf chlorophyll contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- incubated for at least 1 weeke0
- Comparator
- medium with no amendmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Relative to growth in medium with no amendments, plants growing in the amended medium had increased stem diameter, height, leaf chlorophyll content, and plant dry weight (90% to 160% more), provided the amended medium was incubated for at least 1 week.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Amendment with at least one week of incubation increased plant dry weight by 90% to 160%.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- amended mediume0
- Outcome
- plant dry weighte0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 90% to 160% moree0
- Comparator
- medium with no amendmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Relative to growth in medium with no amendments, plants growing in the amended medium had increased stem diameter, height, leaf chlorophyll content, and plant dry weight (90% to 160% more), provided the amended medium was incubated for at least 1 week.”
t0“Tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Rates of 0.6% or 1.2% produced suitable, commercially acceptable transplants at reasonable cost.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- Application rate of 0.6% or 1.2% of alfalfa-based amendmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Application rate of 0.6% or 1.2% of alfalfa-based amendment produced transplants with suitable growth characteristics and met commercially acceptable standards for transplanting and handling at a reasonable estimated cost.”
t0“Tomato”
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- negative
- negative
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See all 13 papers →in vitro · growth · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
92 papers in the same direction as this paper · 25 in the opposite direction · 5 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- no effect
- no effect
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See all 123 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.