Highlights
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- A two-year research on poinsettia cultivation in biodegradable pots was performed.
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- 100% biodegradable polyester pots or added with plant fiber were studied.
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- Biodegradable pots containing plant fiber increased poinsettia growth.
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- The addition of plant fiber was not compatible for poinsettia produce in bio-pots.
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- Pots made by 100% biodegradable polyesters had good mechanical performances.
Abstract
A
large quantity of plastics is utilized by floriculture and especially
for the production of flowering potted plants, where the pot is a very
important component of the whole marketable product. Among these,
poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch) is a
typical example of ornamental potted-plant characterized to have a
relatively long crop cycle, a strong demand, especially in Europe and
North America, concentrated in the Christmas period and a short shield
life. Its cultivation produces a huge quantity of plastic pots to be
managed in the right way to avoid environmental risks. A solution of
this problem could be the use of biodegradable pots instead of
traditional ones. Nevertheless, it is necessary to verify if these
materials, although having biodegradability properties, are able to
ensure comparative levels of technical use as traditional plastic
materials.
In this paper, three different kinds of
biodegradable pots (biodegradable polyester, plain or added with plant
fibers) plus a traditional one (polypropylene, PP) were tested in two
cultivation cycles of poinsettia (E. pulcherrima cv Premium
red). The trial was carried out in a heated greenhouse located in
Southern Italy (40° 38′N; 14° 55′E; 50 m a.s.l.). Agronomical response
of plants as well as the mechanical and colorimetric behavior of pots
over time were studied.
Result have shown that
poinsettias growth in pots charged with plant fiber have had good values
of some agronomical qualitative and quantitative indexes. Mechanical
tests have pointed out that pots made by 100% biodegradable polyesters
have a good mechanical resistance, with a decrease of the maximum
tensile strength (σmax) of just 32.2% during the
trial, and a fixed color over time. Pots made of biodegradable
polyesters variously added with plant fibers do not seem appropriate for
poinsettia cultivation especially for the fast falling of the σmax that, in the case of the biodegradable pot added with 20% of plant fibers, that decreased of 81.3% during the trial.
Keywords
- Waste;
- Mechanical properties;
- Degradation;
- Color;
- Bracts
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