Effect Of Agricultural By-Products As Substrates For H’mong Cucumber Seedlings Under Greenhouse Conditions

Abstract

Circular agriculture is the agricultural production process in a closed cycle, which the waste and by-products
of one process are the input to the other production process, through the application of technical advances and
biotechnology. Thus, agricultural production will exploit and use resources economically and efficiently,
minimizing post-harvest losses, especially reducing and eliminating wastes that pollute the environment,
protecting ecosystems and human health.
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of mixing several types of available materials such as
rice husk ash, coconut coir, canna residue, peat, chicken droppings, pig feces and cow feces, which can be
found freely in Vietnam. Klasmann was the control treatment in this experiment. The crops tried was the
H'mong cucumber - an indigenous cucumber variety of the ethnic minorities in the Northern mountainous
region of Vietnam. The effect of the substrate on H’mong cucumber seedling growth was found to be disparate
depending on the species. Our results suggested that, in comparison with the treatment of Klassmann, the
experimented media showed positive effects on the growth of H’mong cucumber seedlings. Treatment 2 (T2)
with a mixture of 25% RHA + 25% CC + 25% CR + 25% CKD gave the great values of physical
characterization, particle size, bulk density, total porosity, aeration porosity and water-holding porosity.
Additionally, nutrient concentrations were determined. To evaluate the effect of mixing ratio of substrates on
H’mong cucumber seedling growth, stem length, leaf area, dry weight - fresh weight of aerial and root biomass.