Horticultural Studies (HortiS)
2025, Vol 42, Num, 1 (Pages: 009-014)
Investigation of the Usage Possibilities of Leonardite as a Growing Medium
Betül KOLAY 1
1 GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center, 21100, Diyarbakır, Türkiye
DOI :
10.16882/HortiS.1612235
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Growing medium is very important as it affects both the germination of the
seed and the growth of the seedling. The most used growing medium for
seedling growth in the world is peat. Because peat deposits contain a
significant amount of carbon, growing mediums that can be used as an
alternative to peat are gaining importance in terms of climate change. In
this study, the possibilities of using leonardite 100% and its mixtures with
different materials as a seedling growing medium for melon were
investigated. As a result of the study conducted under greenhouse
conditions, it was observed that the germination rate decreased when
100% leonardite was used as a growing medium. The highest plant height,
stem length, leaf number, plant fresh weight, and dry weight were obtained
from the use of 100% peat material. The highest stem diameter was
obtained from 50% peat + 25% vermiculite + 25% perlite, and the highest
root length was obtained from 50% peat + 50% perlite. There was no
difference between the growing medium in terms of fresh root weight and
dry root weight. As a result, it has been determined that it is not suitable to
use 100% leonardite as a growing medium. However, it was observed that
growing mediums 33% leonardite + 33% vermiculite + 33% perlite, 50%
leonardite + 50% vermiculite, and 25% leonardite + 25% peat + 25%
vermiculite + 25% perlite could compete with seedling growing mediums
without leonardite.
Keywords :
Germination Melon Peat Perlite Seedling growth