12/1/2023 0 Comments Bulk bato buckets![]() ![]() Technical Abstract: he Dutch bucket hydroponic system is commonly used for production of high-wire crops such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in controlled environment agriculture. Our preliminary investigation provided evidence that replacing perlite with medium-texture pine bark for cucumber grown in Dutch bucket system could reduce cost and leaching nutrients without affecting reproductive growth at the early fruit stage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of five regional and sustainable organic substrates or mixtures with peat or pine bark as an alternative to perlite in the Dutch bucket system for cucumber production. An ideal substrate would be locally available and sustainable, economically affordable, and with desirable physical and chemical properties such as low bulk density, high aeration and with adequate water holding capacity during crop production. In the US, many small growers lack the equipment and expertise to capture and recycle the effluent. As a result, Dutch bucket systems typically release large quantities of nutrient-laden effluents that must be captured and recycled or lost to the surrounding environment. ![]() Perlite has very low water holding capacity, so irrigation water is retained superficially and released directly. Early adopters of the system were successful using perlite and thus all subsequent local recommendations were based on its use. Dutch buckets are ideal for larger and vine crops, such as tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), peppers (Capsicum annuum), eggplants (Solanum melongena) and others. Interpretive Summary: The Dutch bucket system is one of the most commonly used soilless culture systems in the US. Evaluation of organic substrates as an alternative to perlite for cucumber production in the Dutch bucket hydroponic system. Citation: Yang, T., Altland, J.E., Samarakoon, U.
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