Journal of Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences

Composted Agave Bagasse for Growing Strawberries and Tomatoes
Gil Virgen Calleros, Walter RámirezMeda, José de Jesús Beral Casillas, Gilberto Iñiguez Covarrubias

Abstract
Here we conducted studies to evaluate the possibility of growing strawberries and tomatoes on a composted agave bagasse substrate. We tested the Albión and Camino Real strawberry varieties in a hydroponic closed PVC gutters system, with nutrient solution recirculation and pH control. Compared to commercial substrate, the composted agave bagasse substrate resulted in lower productivity in terms of fruits/plant, but was 75% cheaper. Tomatoes were grown using a hydroponic system for 5 months and 10 days. Compared with national coconut coir and a compressed imported coconut substrate called “cocopeat”, growth using composted agave bagasse did not lead to asignificant difference (p ˃ 0.5) in the quantity of total tomatoes or of quality tomatoes in terms of mean values (g/pot) obtained from 42 cuts in 10 pots per treatment. The present results support the use ofcomposted agave bagasse to replace coconut coir and/or “cocopeat”, which is an expensive imported substrate.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v9n2a9