Development of soil-based growing media for green oak lettuce production

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of soil-based growing media on the growth and yield of green oak lettuce for 3 harvest times. The experiment design was completely randomized design (CRD) with 8 treatments and 5 replications. Treatments were consisting of T1-T3 commercial soil A-C, T4; loamy soil: coconut dust: rice husk: cow manure: chicken manure at a ratio of 1:1:1:1:0.5 by volume, T5; loamy soil: coconut dust: rice husk: cow manure: chicken manure at a ratio of 1:1:1:1:1 by volume, T6; loamy soil: coconut dust: rice husk: chicken manure: vermicompost at a ratio of 1:1:1:0.5:0.5 by volume, T7; loamy soil: coconut dust: rice husk: chicken manure: vermicompost at a ratio of 1:1:1:1:0.5 by volume, and T8; loamy soil: coconut dust: rice husk charcoal: cow manure: chicken manure at a ratio of 1:1:1:1:0.5 by volume. The result reviewed that the soil-based growing media, which consisted of loamy soil: coconut dust: rice husk: cow manure: chicken manure at a ratio of 1:1:1:1:0.5 by volume (T4) was the most appropriate ratio in order to make the highest above-ground fresh weight of green oak lettuce for all 3 harvest times and provide the lowest cost of growing media that was 7.52 Baht/ 1 kg fresh weight yield. In addition, all 5 formulas of the self-mixed growing media (T4-T8) gave the higher results of vegetative growth and yield rather than that of all 3 formulas of commercial growing media (T1-T3).