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EFFECT OF DIATOMITE ON GROWTH OF STRAWBERRY

ILKER ANGIN¹, MURAT KOSE² AND RAFET ASLANTAS³

Abstract: Diatomite is a sedimentary rock primarily composed of the fossilized remains of unicellular fresh water plants known as Diatoms. However, its usage in horticulture is not common. It is mostly used as a filter material in industry. It is very finely porous, very low in density, and essentially chemically inert in most liquids and gases. These properties make diatomite an excellent growing media for horticultural applications. This study was carried out to characterize some physical and physico-chemical properties of diatomite and its potential use as a growing media for strawberry. For this aim two grades (2-4 mm (DE-I) and 4-8 mm (DE-II)) of diatomite and three amendment levels were used. Results obtained from this study have shown that diatomite is an effective amendment to improve water holding capacity of light textured soils. Among the substrates tested, the highest water retention capacity was obtained from 30% DE-I treatment.

¹Department of Agricultural Structures and Irrigation, Faculty of Agriculture, Atatürk University, 25240, Erzurum, Turkey,

²Eastern Anatolia Forestry Research, Erzurum, Turkey,

³Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Atatürk University, 25240, Erzurum, Turkey.

E-mail: iangin@atauni.edu.tr; ilkerangin@yahoo.com