A comparative cost analysis for using compost derived from anaerobic digestion as a peat substitute in a commercial plant nursery

Abstract

253-264. The aim of this study was to evaluate the economic feasibility of using compost made from anaerobically digested cattle slurries in a commercial nursery. Using a comparative cost analysis, commercial peat substrate growing media has been partially substituted with increasing proportions of compost (25, 50 and 75% v/v of compost). This experiment was intended to establish the conditions under which the use of these composts is feasible and competitive relative to commercial peat, at both agronomic and economic levels. Neither the quality of germination nor the vegetative development of the seedlings selected for the experiment (tomato, melon and pepper) were compromised, which was a necessary condition of peat substitution. In addition, the economic effects of using alternative compost media instead of peat alone have been quantified. The results showed that the most suitable scenario from an agronomic standpoint is to substitute 25% of the peat with compost because higher proportions of compost in the growing media are more limiting, especially for the tomato crop. At an economic level, reductions of up to 43% of the substrate cost and a 4.6% improvement in the commercial contribution margin for a company in this sector resulted from 50% peat substitution.

Anaerobically Digested Dairy Fiber in Soilless Potting Media for Herbaceous Perennials

“…Anaerobic digestates, such as ADDF, would likely be much less expensive media components than peat and have the potential to offer growers significant cost savings [11]. Producing ADDF as a horticultural material could become a source of income for dairy farmers and provide a solution to some nutrient and waste management problems associated with raw manure.…”

“…Finding a more lucrative outlet for ADDF, like as a potting media component, could provide smaller dairies more incentive to adopt anaerobic digestion for waste disposal [10]. Creating a local market for ADDF as a potting media component could also benefit growers by providing an inexpensive alternative to peat [11], which is often imported long distances from cold, northern climates to horticultural areas [12]. Growers could also market their crops as "sustainable", a label that can command a higher price for ornamental crops [13].…”

Foliar fertilization in the propagation of conilon coffee in alternative substrates

“…The use of organic residues in agriculture has increasingly aroused the attention of researchers and led to increased efforts to demonstrate their effects on several species of interest, with the objective of reducing the environmental impact generated by the disposal of these materials (Restrepo et al, 2013;Sales et al, 2017). There is a strong potential for the use of industrial residues, which are strongly correlated with the growth and physiology of agricultural plants, as observed by Oberpaur et al (2012), Sales et al (2018a), Berilli et al (2018a) and Quartezani et al (2018).…”

Anaerobically digested dairy fiber in soilless potting media for poinsettias

“…Agricultural waste producers can transform the liability of waste disposal into a source of income by marketing their waste as a valuable horticultural product (Raviv 2005). Local agricultural wastes are generally less expensive for growers than peat (Raviv 2005;Restrepo et al 2013), which is produced in cold, northern regions and must be shipped long distances to more temperate horticultural areas (Roberston 1993 (Hidalgo and Harkess 2002), pine tree substrate (Jackson et al 2008), and composted cotton burrs (Wang and Blessington 1990). Replacing peat with composted olive mill waste reduced media porosity and yielded poinsettias of inferior size and quality to those grown in a peat-perlite medium (Papafotiou et al 2004).…”