Research project Wood fiber substrates as an alternative to peat for a future more sustainable technology-based horticulture industry

General introduction

For the first time, wood fiber substrates based on Norway spruce, as an alternative to peat-based substrates, have been successfully used as growing medium for strawberries in tunnel greenhouses. This is one of the results of the international research project SUBTECH. The project aimed to develop environmentally friendly, peat-free growing substrates based on a renewable raw material such as wood fiber. This was to result in improved crop health by reducing disease pressure, with less need for the use of chemical plant protection products, and increased food safety.
Phasing out peat use in horticulture and ornamentals contributes meaningfully to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus making the sector more sustainable. Over the past 100 years, about one-third of Norway's peatlands have been destroyed, mainly by the exploitation of peat as a horticultural substrate. Partners from Norway have helped support developments in SUBTECH.
Actually introducing a different cultivation substrate requires new knowledge around proper fertilization and watering. Both are on point in this project.

Research approach

The researchers knew that using wood fiber as a peat substitute was not going to be an easy conversion for horticulture. Therefore, they planned to work on precision fertilization based on models (Big Data) and sensor technology. They aimed to reduce environmental impact and water losses, as well as increase yields and crop quality.
Upon completion of the project, new and functional wood fiber-based growing substrates for professional greenhouse farming were developed and tested. RE-use of the wood fiber substrate also gave positive results. Fertilization and watering were optimized for these new substrate mixtures based on sensor monitoring. This new knowledge about cultivation in sustainable wood fiber substrates has been summarized and communicated. Promising mixtures can now be further tested and evaluated by Norwegian growers.

Relevance/Valorization

SUBTECH fundamentally changed the way of thinking about cultivation substrates and has since been followed up in SUBTECH2.0. The development of more peat-free cultivation substrates remains an important challenge for a sustainable future of horticulture. New knowledge about plant nutrition and sensor-based fertigation, meanwhile, is leading to a better understanding of plant physiology and more resource-efficient precision horticulture. Peatlands remain under increasing pressure, the continuing political pressure to reduce peat use translates, for example, into the EU's very critical assessment of peat use for horticulture.

Financing

Norwegian Research Council