Vol. 70 No: 5

Title:
Leaching Losses and Plant Uptake of Nitrogen in Soilless Media Containing Ground Kenaf (Hibiscus Cannabinus L.) Stem Core

Authors:
W.G. PILL, BING SHI, H.D. TILMON and R.W. TAYLOR

pp: 833-840

Abstract:
Kenaf stem core particles (2–4 mm diameter) or grade 3 vermiculite, soaked for 5 d in 0, 1500, 3000, or 4500 mg N l^-1 as ammonium nitrate, were mixed with 70% volume sphagnum peat moss and pre-plant nutrients. Seedlings of ‘Better Boy’ tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were grown in the media for 35 d and then harvested. Shoot dry weights increased with increasing concentration of N soak solution, and were greater in peat-vermiculite (PV) than in peat-kenaf (PK). Shoot N concentrations generally were higher in PV than in PK media, but media total N concentration both before and after cropping was greater in PK than in PV media at any soak solution N concentration. Leachate nitrate concentration generally was greater from PV than from PK (despite the lower leaching fraction of PK media), decreased with time, and was greater in the absence of plants. Nitrogen-soaked particles of kenaf stem core can serve effectively as a bulking component of soilless media with the capacity to release N over an extended period.

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