The effect of agricultural byproduct of olive tree on horticultural substrate of strawberry (fragaria ananassa) grown in soilless crop system

In order to study the physical and chemical characteristic of 4 horticultural substrates and their behavior on strawberry plant cultivated in inert media, a study was carried during 2009 to 2010. Four substrates were tested in this experiment. They were composed by the byproduct oil cake and the vermicuhte with the proportions [100:0], [90:10], [80:20] and [70:30] for Tl, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. In the laboratory, the physical and chemical properties of these 4 blends are studied. In the greenhouse, their behavior on strawberry crop based on pH drainage evolution after each fertigation are controlled. The first supports compounded by 100% of oil cake and the second compounded by 90% of oil cake and 10% of vermiculite had the best physical and chemical characteristics: air filled porosity, percentage of drainage, moisture content, bulk density, pH and Electrical Conductivity (EC). The monitoring of fertigation, by the pH drainage evolution, from 1 to 14 May; period of high photosynthetic activity, shows that the behaviour of the mixtures Tl [100:0] and T2 [90:20] on the strawberry plant, grown in inert media, gave good conditions to uptake the nutrients and relatively optimized, the growth of strawberry plant. © 2011 Academic Journals Inc.