COMPOSTING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ORGANIC SUBSTRATES USED FOR TOMATO PRODUCTION UNDER GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS

This work was done in the company “Vegetales de Oaxaca SPR de RL” Trinidad Zaachila, Oaxaca (South Mexico) during spring-summer 2011. We have evaluated nine growing media, volume mixes of different local materials composted: pine bark + peat (70:30); maguey bagasse + peat (70:30), Morelos coconut fiber + peat (70:30), pine bark + maguey bagasse (50:50), coconut fiber Rio Grande (100%) Morelos coconut fiber (100%), peanut hulls (100%) and maguey bagasse (100%). All these mixtures had been used during a previous crop cycle. Pine sawdust that had not been used before, served as control substrate. Bagasse mixtures maguey + peat (70:30), pine bark + peat (70:30), coconut fiber Rio Grande (100%) Morelos coconut fiber (100%) and maguey bagasse + bark pine (50:50 v: v), showed better yields 6.592 kg.plant^-1, 5.950 kg.plant^-1, 5.602 kg.plant^-1, 5.271 kg.plant^-1 and 5.154 kg plant^-1, respectively. The height and width variables showed no significant differences. The treatment showing best performance, best height, fresh weight of leaves, stems and roots was agave bagasse + peat (70:30).