Use of Tannery Sludge and Urban Compost as a Substrate for Sweet Pepper Seedlings

Abstract

There are many commercial substrates available in the market of vegetables nowadays. However, a growing pressure turned for sustainability in farming, promotes a line of utilization of waste with agricultural potential, such as the use of urban waste compost and tannery sludge, which, when available, can be used as sources of compost and alternative organic matter. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of tannery sludge associated with the urban waste compost in the substrate composition of sweet pepper seedlings, especially regarding emergence, development, and quality of seedlings. The experimental design was a randomized block design with six replications and eight treatments. The treatments consisted of mixtures of the residue of dehydrated tannery sludge and urban waste compost, varying in the proportions of 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90% and 100% of each, as well as the use of a commercial substrate as a conventional treatment for the comparisons. Graphs were performed through linear regression analysis for the treatment of statistical data. The percentage of emergence, development, and quality of seedlings were evaluated 54 days after planting. The alternative substrates showed high potential in the production of seedlings, in which all the combinations used in the study were superior to the conventional treatment, except the germination, which did not present difference. The range for the use of tannery sludge in the preparation of substrates for sweet pepper seedlings is between 32.7 and 48.2% in a mixture with urban waste compost. The plants presented better quality with the use of 46.0% of tannery sludge and 54.0% of urban compost in the preparation of the substrate.