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- Rice Hull-Soil Mixtures as Growing Media for Tomato Transplants
Rice Hull-Soil Mixtures as Growing Media for Tomato Transplants
Thesis Abstract:
Three experiments were conducted to determine some properties of rice hull, to ascertain the possible use of rice-hull-soil mixtures as growing media for tomato seedlings, and to find out the optimum amount and frequency of fertilizers to be added to the mixture to sustain the seedlings until transplanting.
Results showed that rice hull contained about 15% silica, making it resistant to decomposition; had negligible cation exchange capacity (CEC); could hold 1.7 times its weight of water, almost 80% of which was available to the plants; and exhibited no germinative inhibition on tomato seeds.
Rice hull-Lipa clay loam soil mixtures were very light and well aerated, thus minimizing damping-off and increasing nutrient uptake because of the extensive root system. The optimum combination for tomato seedlings was 2:1 rice hull-Lipa clay loam soil enriched, per liter of mixture, with 1 g Solophos (20% P2O5 + 12% S) totally applied before sowing and 3 g complete fertilizer (14-14-14) in 3 split applications (1 before and 2 after sowing).
Although extremely acidic (pH 3.8), Dolongan muck soil did not need liming, and incorporating rice hull improved its wettability. For optimum tomato seedling growth, the best combination of rice hull-Dolongan muck soild was 3:1, with similar fertilizer treatment.
Rice hull-soil mixtures had less water-holding capacity than either Lipa clay loam soil or Dolongan much soil mixed 2:1 with sand, hence the need for more frequent watering of the plants in the former.