Possible Use of Unbleached Softwood Kraft Pulp UKP as a Growing Medium in Forest Nurseries
Karki Subramanya, Ashika (2025)
2025
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025061022157
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025061022157
Tiivistelmä
Peat extraction to be used as a growing medium is surrounded by controversies due to its role in biodiversity degradation and global warming. Physical, chemical and biological properties along with its cost effectiveness makes the peat heavily used growing medium globally. There has been a long list of efforts to find an efficient replacement for peat which is sustainable and cost effective. The results were not satisfactory.
In the present study suitability of unbleached softwood kraft pulp UKP as a growing medium is explored. UKP as an independent growing medium and UKP in combination with vermiculite as a growing medium is used to test the theory along with peat as a control. Chemical properties like pH electrical conductivity EC and moisture content for all the growing media are monitored for six weeks.
The results confirmed the reasons of the dominance of peat as a growing medium. The pulp growing medium, however had a satisfactory pH, offered a very poor electrical conductivity and moisture retention capacity. Other major drawback for pulp growing medium is its rapid disintegration and decomposition which resulted in structural changes.
In the present study suitability of unbleached softwood kraft pulp UKP as a growing medium is explored. UKP as an independent growing medium and UKP in combination with vermiculite as a growing medium is used to test the theory along with peat as a control. Chemical properties like pH electrical conductivity EC and moisture content for all the growing media are monitored for six weeks.
The results confirmed the reasons of the dominance of peat as a growing medium. The pulp growing medium, however had a satisfactory pH, offered a very poor electrical conductivity and moisture retention capacity. Other major drawback for pulp growing medium is its rapid disintegration and decomposition which resulted in structural changes.