Extracted sweet corn tassels as a renewable alternative to peat in greenhouse substrates

Soilless substrates are primarily used in the production of containerized greenhouse and nursery crops. Sphagnum peat moss is a primary constituent of these substrates and its harvest from endangered ecosystems has become a worldwide concern. Ethanol-extracted, coarse-ground corn (Zea mays L. ‘Silver Queen’) tassels were used as a peat replacement for potting substrates. Replacing peat moss with increasing levels of ground tassel (up to 50%, v/v) elevated pH and electrical conductance, while having variable effects on substrate physical properties (bulk density, percent solids, air porosity, container capacity, and total porosity). Two identical greenhouse experiments separated by time were conducted using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. ‘Red Robin’) plants grown in 6.0-L pots. In the first experiment, all substrates were similar for total tomato yield per plant and number of fruit per plant, with only the 50% tassel substrate having significantly lower values. There were no differences for plant height or average fruit weight among substrates. No differences were found for any of these variables in the second experiment. This research indicates that extracted ground tassels may be utilized as a suitable replacement for peat in greenhouse substrates for tomatoes.