Abstract

MARTINEZ, Ana María; TORRES, Jaime  and  CAMPOS, Armando. Studying the humidity of three types of peat during the propagation stage of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Agron. colomb. [online]. 2005, vol.23, n.1, pp.154-164. ISSN 0120-9965.

This work was carried out in the Universidad National de Colombia's Agronomy Faculty greenhouses during the first six months of 2002, aimed at studying how humidity behaved in three types of peat and its effect on the propagation of basil. The substrates used in the assays were 100% German golden peat (treatment 1), mixed 60% golden - 40% black German peat (treatment 2) and 100% Canadian golden peat, presenting added perlite and vermiculite (treatment 3). The following variables were evaluated for each substrate base: evaporation in propagation trays without plants, transpiration in propagation trays with plants and covered substrate and evapo-transpiration in propagation trays with plants. The three trays mentioned above constituted the experimental unit. A completely randomised design was used with three treatments; experiments were repeated five times. The variables measured were (1) water loss, (2) percentage germination, (3) plant height, the (4) number of leaves and (5) fresh weight. Analysing this study's results led to the conclusion that: (a) 100% golden Canadian peat moss (added vermiculite and pearlite) presented the least water loss and that plant germination, (b) growth and development showed a better response with the 60% golden - 40% black German peat mixture

Keywords : Water retention; substrate; propagation tray; evaporation; transpiration; evapotranspiration.

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