Studies On Appropriate Physical And Chemical Properties Of Media For Intensive Production Of Tomato And Sweet Pepper Seedlings

The plug seedling is the main way of the intensive cultivation of vegetables, and its rapid development has greatly promoted the scale, specialization and modernization of vegetable industry in China. Good substrate is the key to cultivating strong seedlings. The studies about seedling substrate were concentrated in formula selection and peat alternative substrate development, but the studies on suitable physical and chemical was less. Tomato and sweet pepper are the main vegetable varieties in China and the world in protected cultivation, as well as the main vegetable varieties of intensive seedling. The paper studies the appropriate physical and chemical properties of substrates for intensive production of tomato and sweet pepper seedlings. The main results as follow:1.The application effects of different proportion of peat, vermiculite and perlite matrix on tomato and sweet pepper seedlings using mixing test design were studied. The results showed that when the substrate ratio was peat: vermiculite: perlite = 7:2:1(V:V:V),the total dry weight, seedling index, root vigor, content of proline and soluble sugar of tomato and sweet pepper seedling were the largest.2.The contour map was drawn in the observations of seedling index, the substrate suitable ratio(volume ratio) for tomato under the 95% confidence interval is peat 46 ~ 70% and vermiculite 20~29% and perlite 10~ 31%, for sweet pepper is peat 50 ~ 70% and vermiculite 20~26% and perlite 10~ 30%.3.Through the establishment of various physical and chemical properties of peat and vermiculite and pearlite proportion equation model, the tomato seedling substrate suitable physical and chemical indicators calculated by MATLAB7.0,available nitrogen 279.3~425.7 mg.kg-1, available phosphorus 34.4~52.6 mg.kg-1,available potassium 345.9~525.1 mg.kg-1, bulk density 0.12~0.16 g.cm-3,total porosity 73~80%,EC 0.458~0.568 ms·cm-1,pH 6.5~6.9,total organic carbon 42.6~64.8%,4.The sweet pepper seedling substrate suitable physical and chemical indicators calculated by MATLAB7.0, available nitrogen 301.3~424.7 mg.kg-1, available phosphorus 37.1~52.5 mg.kg-1,available potassium 371.7~521.0 mg.kg-1, bulk density 0.12~0.16 g.cm-3,total porosity 73~79%,EC 0.474~0.569 ms·cm-1,pH 6.5~6.9,total organic carbon 46.1~64.8%.