Response of cucumber and tomato plants to different substrates mixtures of pumice in substrate culture

Abstract

Two experiments were carried out to estimate investigate the possibility of using Greek pumice for cucumber and tomato production. The effect of addition of different proportions in various particle sizes of pumice stone was used to study the effect on airspace and easily available water as well as total porosity and water-buffering capacity. The analyses were conducted in the laboratories of Bord Na Mona Research Center, in Ireland and in the Agricultural Research Center of Macedonia and Thrace, in Greece. The fieldwork was conducted in El Bossily protected cultivation station located at the northern cost of Egypt. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of different particle sizes and different substrate volume on growth and yield of cucumber plant under plastic house conditions. The Pumice mixtures tested were 5-8 mm, 8-16 mm and 0-5 mm that was mixed with the previous two treatments at the rates of 10, 20, or 30% in order to improve the water holding capacity of the substrate. The mixtures were compared to a standard perlite control. Data of the chemical and physical properties for the substrates were collected as well as data of the bio-mass, leaf area index, Chlorophyll content, early yield and total yield. The results were discussed in relation with the cost effectiveness of the material as a substrate for vegetable crops in the Mediterranean region. The results showed that adding fine size of pumice to the bigger sizes of pumice improve the physical and chemical properties and improve plant growth. This also improves the cucumber yield produced by using this substrates.