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July 2002 - September 2011
August 1985 - September 2011
Publications
Publications (64)
One composting and two vermicomposting processes applied to a vegetable waste mixture were compared at selected stages for their chemical characteristics. The starting material consisted of a mixture of milled residual tomato crop biomass and ground almond shells (75:25, v:v). The compost was produced by a combined system (Rutgers + pile turning) (...
The effects of adding five rates of powdered elemental sulfur (S0) or ferrous sulfate (FeSO4.7H2O) on the acidification process of three alkaline composts prepared with residual vegetable crop biomass (melon, C1; pepper, C2; and zucchini, C3) were investigated. Composts reacted differently to the application of the amendments, the acidification eff...
Co-composting two phase olive mill wastes (TPOMW) with bulking agents - which provide nitrogen and aeration-with agricultural purposes is an appropriate strategy for the management of this by-product from both environmental and economic points of view. The aims of this work were to characterize two composts prepared by mixing TPOMW and fresh horse...
Resumen Se realizó un experimento de dos años de duración en el que se ensayaron cinco dosis (0, 12, 24, 48 y 96 toneladas de materia orgánica seca por hectárea) de un compost de alperujo añadido como enmienda orgánica a un suelo calizo sin fertilizar. Las mezclas se incubaron en contenedores (6 por tratamiento) de 4,5L de capacidad durante un año...
An experiment was conducted during 2 years. 5 doses (0, 12, 24, 48 and 96 t DOM ha-1) of alperujo compost were applied on limestone soil. These mixes were incubates during 1 year into containers with 4,5L capacity (6 containers for each treatment) under two moisture conditions: 50% and 100% of field capacity. After one year, pH, electrical conducti...
An experiment was conducted during 2 years. 5 doses (0, 12, 24, 48 and 96 t DOM ha-1) of alperujo compost were applied on alkaline soil. These mixes were incubates during 1 year into containers with 4,5L capacity (6 containers for each treatment) under two moisture conditions: 50% and 100% of field capacity. After one year, pH, electrical conductiv...
Changes in physical and chemical characteristics of an organic waste (tomato crop waste) throughout composting (COM), vermicomposting (VER) and the combination of both processes (C+V) were assessed at five selected stages. COM consisted of a combination of the static Rutgers system with forced aeration and pile turning. For VER Eisenia worms were f...
The sustainability of biogas production systems depends greatly on the appropriate disposal of the digestates produced. The main agrochemical characteristics of 12 digestates from the anaerobic co-digestion of farm and agroindustrial residues were determined and compared with quality standards to assess their potential use as fertilisers. The diges...
In this study, the main physical, physiochemical, and chemical properties of hazelnut husk have been determined for the suitability as a container growing medium. Four substrates were prepared based upon decomposition degree: raw (H1), medium decomposed (H2, H3), and strongly decomposed hazelnut husk samples (H4), to determine the optimum growing m...
The feasibility of one compost (C) and two vermicomposts (V1 and V2), prepared from a mixture of milled residual tomato crop biomass and ground almond shell (75:25, v:v), as propagation media constituents for the production of rooted cuttings of Euonymus japonicus 'Compacta', E. japonicus 'Microphylla', Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead' and Rosmari...
The influence of particle size (diameter between <0.125 mm and >2 mm) on the physical, physico-chemical and chemical properties of a coconut coir dust from Mexico was studied. Particle size significantly affected the physical properties, especially the air–water relationships. Air content increased and water-holding capacity (total and readily avai...
The search for new biocontrol strategies to inhibit the growth of phytopathogenic microorganisms has become widely widespread due to environmental concerns. Among actinomycetes, Streptomyces species have been extensively studied since they have been recognized as important sources of antibiotics. Actinomycete strains were isolated from a calcareous...
Eight strains of sulfur oxidizing bacteria were isolated from alkaline 'alperujo' compost, seven being identified as Paracoccus thiocyanatus and one as Halothiobacillus neapolitanus. This was the first time that P. thiocyanatus was isolated from mature compost. Acidification capability of isolated strains was compared with type strains H. neapolita...
The leaching of salt and mineral elements from three composts prepared with residual vegetable crop biomass (melon, pepper or zucchini) was studied using methacrylate columns and distilled water. The benefits of the leached composts to be used for ornamental potted plant production were also analysed. After leaching 5 container capacities of efflue...
BACKGROUND: The production of biodegradable wastes and their disposal cause a major financial problem in many industrial activities. Co‐composting was thought to be a feasible alternative for disposing of a strongly alkaline waste from the pharmaceutical industry (AW), mainly consisting of animal fats and partially hydrolysed proteins in a stable e...
The effects of 'alperujo' compost on trace element availability and on microbial activity of two contaminated soils, a calcareous soil (S1) with high contents of Pb and Zn, and an acidic soil (S2) with a substantial amount of Al, As, Pb and Zn, were assessed. Additionally, the growth and capacity for contaminant phytoextraction of five Brassica spe...
Heavy metal contaminated soils results in various negative environmental effects such as a decrease in biological diversity, decline crop productivity or human exposure to toxic elements in the others. The influence of heavy metal contamination in Spanish Mediterranean soils on its biological activity was studied. Non-polluted soils and heavy metal...
The search for new, antifungal biocontrol strategies to inhibit the growth of phytopathogenic fungi has been focused on the genus, Streptomyces and related species. Actinomycetes were isolated oil starch casein agar (SCA), arginine glycerol salts agar (AGSA), and glycerol asparagine agar (GAA). and co-cultured with phytopathogenic fungi in potato d...
A strongly alkaline compost prepared with two-phase olive mill waste ("alperujo") was amended with elemental sulphur (S(0)) to assess the contribution of autotrophic bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi to the acidification process, and to allow the isolation and identification of sulphur-oxidizing bacteria. S(0) application de...
The sequential extraction procedures described by Tessier et al., McGrath and Cegarra, and Gimeno-García et al. were compared to investigate trace element (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) partitioning patterns and extraction efficiency in three contaminated soils from Mediterranean regions of Spain. Soils were selected from Onda (Castellón) (S1), Aznalcóll...
The use of composts from distillery wastes as alternative growing media ingredients for transplant production instead of peat, whose harvesting constitutes a severe environmental damage, was studied. Two composts were prepared with exhausted grape marc and cattle manure (C1), and with exhausted grape marc and poultry manure (C2). Four vegetable spe...
The effects of powdered elemental sulfur (S0) and ferrous sulfate (FeS02.7H20) on the pH of three alkaline composts prepared with residual vegetable crop biomass (melon, C1; pepper, C2 and zucchini, C3) were investigated. Composts reacted differently to the application of the amendments, the acidification efficiency averaging 43%, 50% and 36% for C...
The biological oxidation of elemental sulphur (S(o)) added to three alkaline composts prepared with a range of organic wastes (CC, melon crop residues; MC, mixed manures; and BC, pine bark) to reduce their pH was studied. The titration curves showed that to achieve an equivalent pH drop, compost CC needed a larger dose of S(o) than did composts MC...
Short-term effects of the application of two composts made from ‘alperujo’, a solid by-product of olive oil extraction process, on soil fertility and radish yield were determined in a container experiment. The trial consisted in a factorial design where two composts (alperujo, AL, and alperujo co-composted with a N-rich, hydrolyzed animal waste, AL...
This study examines the feasibility of using saline irrigation water for commercial pot cultivation of three ornamentals: Calceolaria hybrida, Calendula officinalis and Petunia hybrida. Two saline treatments were assayed: irrigation with low saline tap water (electrical conductivity=1.16dSm−1), and irrigation with a high saline solution of NaCl 100...
El picón, nombre local con el que se conoce al lapilli basáltico, es
ampliamente utilizado como sustrato en los cultivos sin suelo de Canarias,
fundamentalmente en tomate y rosas. El conocimiento de las propiedades físicas de
estos materiales de origen local es escaso. En este trabajo se pretenden conocer más
ampliamente estas propiedades, así como...
The leaching of salt and mineral elements from three composts prepared with residual vegetable crop biomass (melon, pepper or zucchini) and from one limed peat (control) was studied using methacrylate columns and distilled water. After 5 container capacities of effluent, both the electrical conductivity and the concentration of soluble elements in...
Selected physical properties of 13 coconut coir dusts from Asia, America, and Africa were compared to physical properties of sphagnum peat. All properties studied differed significantly between and within sources, and from the peat. Coir dusts from India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand were composed mainly of pithy tissue, whereas most of those from Costa...
The effect on fruit ripening and on water spot incidence in Clemenules mandarin fruit of preharvest (86 days before harvesting) or postharvest application of a low concentration (12.5–125 mg l−1) of chitosan was investigated. Chitosan delayed the natural and ethylene-induced peel pigmentation without affecting the internal maturation, and reduced t...
The use of compost with high salt concentration was evaluated, under commercial conditions, as a potential growing media constituent for vegetable transplant production. Two composts were prepared from sweet sorghum bagasse, pine bark, and either urea (compost A) or brewery sludge (compost B) as N source. Three vegetable species — broccoli (Brassic...
The microstructure of the mesocarp pithy tissue and short-length fibres of 2 differently processed coconut coir dusts from Mexico and Sri Lanka was studied using scanning electron microscopy and compared with that of a Sphagnum moss peat. Selected physical properties of these materials were also determined for their use in potting media. The 2 coir...
Selected physico-chemical and chemical characteristics of 13 coconut coir dust (mesocarp pithy tissue plus short-length fibres) samples from Asia, America and Africa were evaluated as peat alternatives. All properties studied differed significantly between and within sources, and from the control Sphagnum peat. pH of coir dust was slightly acidic,...
An inventory of materials suitable for use as growing media for ornamental potted plant production in Spain has been prepared. Special attention has been paid to solid organic wastes generated by production, industrial and consumer activities. Information obtained from this study has been organised into two data bases. Data base 1 contains the “Gen...
A mixture of Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) and seaweed residues with shredded municipal yard and landscape green wastes (sea residues: green waste, 1:1,v: v) was conventionally composted for 6 months using the open windrow composting system. After this period, pile turning was stopped and the compost was allowed to mature for 2 months...
Este estudo foi realizado na localidade de Alcanar (Tarragona, Espanha) e objetivou avaliar o efeito de cinco concentrações do ácido indolbutírico (AIB) (0,0; 0,5; 1,0; 1,5; 2,0 g/L) e da inoculação com micorrizas arbusculares (MA) (Glomus intraradices Schenck & Smith) sobre o desenvolvimento vegetativo, conteúdo foliar de P e K e morfologia radicu...
Selected physical and chemical properties of thirteen coconut coir wastes (pith plus short- to medium-length fibres) commercially produced in six countries from Africa, America and Asia, were evaluated as growing media or growing media constituents for containerised plants. Coir waste was evaluated as a lightweight material and showed a high total...
Three growing media consisting of Sphagnum peat mixed with either a siliceous sand, a sandy soil or a fen peat, were studied in relation to the effect of indolebutyric acid (IBA), applied at 2.0 g I as a 10 s root dip, on the growth of containerized ‘Carrizo’ citrange seedlings. Plants grown in the fen peat mixture showed the highest root developme...
Fertigation of melon crop cv. "Galia" grown in two soilless media based on black sedge peat was studied by evaluating fruit yield and nutrient concentration in both leaves and leaf petiole sap. Growing media composed of pure black sedge peat or a mixture of black sedge peat and light Sphagnum peat (1.5/1.0, V/V), showed limited available water-hold...
The influence of solid urban waste (SUW) compost and nitrogen (N)‐mineral fertilizer on the growth and productivity in semi‐early harvest potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L, var. ‘Edzina') was studied over a period of three years. Nine treatments derived from a factorial combination of 3 levels of SUW compost (0, 18, 36 T#lbha) and 3 levels of N‐mineral...
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of two substrate mixtures and arbuscular mycorrhyzae (AM) on the vegetative growth of Troyer citrange. Troyer citrange seeds, inoculated or not with G. intraradices Schenck & Smith were sown in plastic trays containing a substrate mixture of silica sand plus perlite plus Sphagnum peat (...
Selected physical and chemical properties of two coconut fiber wastes (dust plus short fibers) from Mexico (ME) and Sri Lanka (SL) were evaluated as growing media components for pot plants. Both coir wastes were evaluated as lightweight materials and showed a particularly high total porosity. Coirs exhibited a very high air content together with a...
The vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomus intraradices Schenck & Smith increased root and shoot growth of the citrus rootstocks sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) and ‘Carrizo’ citrange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb. X Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.). The application of indolebutyric acid (IBA) at 2.0 g l−1 as a 10 s root dip to non-mycorr...
Humic acids (HAs) were obtained from two low rank coals (lignite and leonardite) by using either alkali extractants (0.1 M NaOH, 0.1 M KOH or 0.25 M KOH) or solutions containing Na4P2O7 (0.1 M Na4P2O7 or 0.1 M NaOHNa4P2O7). In both coals, the greatest yields were obtained with 0.25 M KOH and the lowest with the 0.1 M alkalis, whereas the extractant...
Solutions of 0·1m and 0·25m potassium hydroxide were employed to extract a humic fertilizer from lignite at 20, 50 and 80°C. The effects of the temperature on the yields of humic and fulvic acids and on the characteristics of the former were investigated.Higher extraction temperatures did not significantly enhance yield in either case, and neither...
A humic fertilizer containing humic and fulvic acids was extracted from lignite. The effects of the extractants on the yield of extraction and on the characteristics of humic acids were investigated.The following extractants were used: 0·1, 0·25, 0·5 and 1·0 m KOH and 0·1 m NaOH. Acid pretreatments were performed with 0·1 m HCl prior to the extract...
Humic substances prepared from different sources of organic materials were tested for their effects on nutrient uptake and growth of cucumber plants. Plants were grown in a modified Hoagland solution (iron as soluble FeCl3), with the addition of 50 mg/l of carbon in the form of humic substances derived from lignite, sphagnum moss or sedge peat. Hum...
This review summarizes the research on the effects of synthetic auxins on fruit setting and development of greenhouse-grown tomatoes in mild-winter conditions. The concepts of mild winter and fruit setting are analysed in relation to the use of auxins on tomato under protected cultivation. Particular emphasis is placed on horticultural uses of auxi...
