Compost Applications in Horticultural Production

Dear Colleagues,

Composting is an effective method of capturing the nutrient and microbial resources of wastes and producing a product, called compost, that has wide applications in both containerized and soil-based horticultural plant production. The physical, chemical, and biological benefits of compost utilization in horticultural plant production may improve water and nutrient availability, disease resistance, and plant growth. Once composted, raw wastes, which would otherwise require expensive disposal, can be developed into useful resources. For these plant growth and environmental benefits to be attained, a compost addition needs to be carefully matched to the physical, chemical, biological, and nutritional needs of the specific horticultural production method. Soil-based plants are able to utilize a greater variety of compost characteristics than those grown in container media. Similarly, ornamental plant production may not require the same, careful attention to specific nutrient requirements as edible plant production does. Composts that are stable, free of pathogens and weed seeds, and have a defined nutrient concentration and availability can be more economically advantageous to horticultural production operations than raw wastes if they are consistent, high-quality, and dry enough to reduce shipping costs.

Dr. Helen Tyler Kraus
Dr. Domenico Ronga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• compost utilization
• nutrient availability
• container medium
• soil organic matter
• disease suppression

1. planned paper

Title:Growth of micropropagated hazelnut and raspberry on substrate with added compost based on digestate and by-products of the vine-wine and hazelnut production chains.

Abstract:

The production of new organic preparations with a biofertilizer and biostimulating function, derived from the recovery of by-products of the agri-food sector, represents an effective tool for the enhancement of residues and waste, for the reduction of the use of non-renewable resources and for the structuring of production chains based on circular economy and sustainability criteria. Using different sources of recyclable materials, two compost were produced and their properties and functions as components of nursery substrates evaluated. Attention was focused on the by-products of two production chains of great importance in Italy and worldwide, the wine and the coriliculture, which originate a significant amount of residues both in the field and in processing activities. The two compost had a common component consisting of solid digestate, a by-product of the biogas chain, and were differentiated by vine pruning wood (compost A), or shells and pellicle of toasted hazelnuts (compost B). These compost have been used to replace variable percentages of peat, an expensive and non-renewable resource, commonly used as a substrate in nurseries. Compost A was evaluated for growing micropropagated raspberry plants in containers. Compost B has been used for the growth of micropropagated hazelnut plants, a planting material largely used in the current phase of crop expansion in many countries around the world. The microbiological and physico-chemical analyzes of these preparations have revealed health conditions and a content of nutritional elements suitable for their agronomic use and levels of heavy metals in compliance with the standards set by Dgls 75/10. The trials have provided satisfactory results, demonstrating the possibility of consistently reducing the use of peat without compromising, and in some cases improving, the performance of vegetative growth and nutritional status of plants. Positive effects in the phase of active growth have been observed on chlorophyll content and nutritional status of hazelnut up to 20% of compost  and in  raspberry up to 40%. In the case of raspberry, the use of these substrates could also be experimented for soilless production, while it could allow the growth of hazelnut plants up to the appropriate size for planting.