SUGARCANE FILTER PRESS MUD AS A SUBSTRATE FOR NURSERY HARDENING OF TISSUE CULTURE BANANAS By NICHOLAS ALEXANDER LARSEN A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2015 © 2015 Nicholas Alexander Larsen To my son, John Harper Larsen ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank God for giving me the endurance and opportunity to complete my education. A path was cleared for me, and all the right people were placed along that path to ensure my success. I thank my wife, Kiley, for her encouragement and insistence that I finish my education. I thank the late John Harper for making the undertaking of a doctorate financially feasible. I thank the University of Florida for their Employee Education Program that paid for 6 credit hours each semester. I thank Gregg Nuessly for allowing me to further my education while still working for him. I thank Ron Rice, Jim Shine and Chris LaBorde for providing me with samples of Filter Press Mud. Andy Fu was a godsend helping me to get all the nutrient analyses completed in a timely fashion. I thank Kimberly Moore for taking me as a doctoral student and allowing me the freedom to choose a project of my own. I thank the rest of my committee, Timothy Broschat, Samira Daroub, and Ann Wilkie for providing scientific guidance and encouraging me to investigate further. I thank my son John, who inspired me to expedite my work. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore (Psalm 121, KJV). 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 8 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ 12 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................... 16 The Horticulture Industry in South Florida............................................................... 16 Water Use in South Florida Nurseries..................................................................... 16 Fertilizer Use in South Florida Nurseries ................................................................ 17 Nursery Grower Needs ........................................................................................... 17 Sugarcane Filter Press Mud: A Potential Solution .................................................. 18 Research Objectives ............................................................................................... 18 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 20 Nursery and Container Production of Plants ........................................................... 20 Fertilization in the Nursery ................................................................................ 20 Container Nursery Best Management Practices ............................................... 21 The Ideal Substrate ................................................................................................ 22 Peat Alternatives ..................................................................................................... 23 Sugarcane Filter Press Mud ................................................................................... 25 FPM Impacts on Soils ...................................................................................... 26 FPM as a Substrate .......................................................................................... 27 FPM Use in Horticultural Crop Production ........................................................ 28 FPM Use in Landscapes .................................................................................. 29 FPM Use in Fruit Tree Nurseries ...................................................................... 30 FPM Use in Forest Tree Nurseries ................................................................... 31 FPM Use in Propagation .................................................................................. 32 FPM use in Ornamental Nurseries ................................................................... 32 Bananas .................................................................................................................. 33 Banana Propagation and Planting .................................................................... 34 Banana Irrigation Requirements ....................................................................... 35 3 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SUGARCANE FILTER PRESS MUD AS A SUBSTRATE FOR ACCLIMATING TISSUE CULTURE BANANAS ............................................................................................................... 40 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 40 5 Methods and Materials............................................................................................ 41 FPM Source Nutrient Characterization ............................................................. 42 FPM Age Nutrient Characterization .................................................................. 43 FPM Total Nutrient and Heavy Metal Analysis ................................................. 44 Statistical Analysis ............................................................................................ 44 Results .................................................................................................................... 44 General Observations About FPM .................................................................... 44 Chemical Characterization ............................................................................... 45 Source Leaching Experiment ........................................................................... 46 Age Leaching Experiment ................................................................................ 47 Source Physical Characteristics ....................................................................... 47 Age Physical Characteristics ............................................................................ 47 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 48 4 IRRIGATION REQUIREMENT OF TISSUE CULTURE BANANA PLANTLETS GROWN IN A SUGARCANE FILTER PRESS MUD BASED SUBSTRATE ........... 58 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 58 Methods and Materials............................................................................................ 59 Results and Discussion........................................................................................... 63 5 FERTILIZATION OF TISSUE-CULTURE BANANA PLANTLETS GROWN IN SUGARCANE FILTER PRESS MUD BASED SUBSTRATES ................................ 79 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 79 Methods and Materials............................................................................................ 80 Results and Discussion........................................................................................... 82 6 NUTRIENT LEACHING FROM TISSUE-CULTURE BANANA PLANTLETS GROWN IN SUGARCANE FILTER PRESS MUD BASED SUBSTRATES ............ 93 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 93 Methods and Materials............................................................................................ 93 Results .................................................................................................................... 95 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 96 7 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................... 109 APPENDIX A IMPACT OF FERTILIZATION ON VINCA GROWN IN BINARY MIXTURES OF SUGARCANE FILTER PRESS MUD AND VERMICULITE .................................. 111 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 111 Methods and Materials.......................................................................................... 112 Results .................................................................................................................. 114 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 115 6 B IMPACT OF SUGARCANE FILTER PRESS MUD