Effects of Substituting Peat with Coconut Coir and Cow Dung in Pepper Seedling Cultivation
CUI Ziliang
WANG Junfeng
MIAO Jun
SUN Kaining
CHAI Hongtao
Abstract：Peat moss is a primary raw material for seedling cultivation substrates,but its high cost and non-renewable.There is an urgent need for sufficient and low-cost materials to partially replace it.In this study,coconut coir and cow dung were used as substitutes for peat moss.Eleven different substrate formulations were established,with a conventional peat-based substrate serving as the control(CK).The study investigated the effects of various substrates on the growth and development of Capsicum annuum seedlings.The results indic ated that,compared with CK,the M20C10 treatment group(cow dung:coconut coir:peat moss:perlite=2:1:5:2)achieved a dry weight of 0.229 g for C.annuumseedlings,representing a 40.5%increase.The robust seedling index reached 0.162,showing a 60.7%increase and surpassing other treatments.The water-holding porosity reached 57.4%,reflecting a 10.05%increase.Additionally,the M15C0 treatment group(cow dung:peat moss:perlite=3:13:4),which had the second-highest robust seedling index,exhibited superior growth indicators,bulk density,water-holding porosity,and total porosity compared to CK.These findings suggested that cow dung and coconut coir could partially replace peat moss in the formulation of seedling cultivation substrates.
Keywords：Coconut coircow dungCapsicum annuumseedlings
Publication Date：2025-05-31
Online Publishing Date：2026-08-28(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 73-79 )