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Only very limited research has been undertaken on the use of zeolites in soilless media, and these studies undertaken in Alberta between 2001 and 2005 are intend to clarify the situation.
This research was undertaken at the Crop Diversification Centre South, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Brooks, Alberta, Canada between 2001 and 2004 in which a number of varieties of two vegetable crops (sweet peppers and cucumber) were grown in a series of experiments using a range of different growing media, at two different levels of carbon dioxide, using different additions of zeolite to the media.
Results were presented from a series of trials undertaken in Alberta, Canada over 4 years (2001 -2005) to evaluate the effect of the addition of zeolite amendments for the growing of greenhouse cucumbers and peppers in a range of different growing media, including perlite, coir, rockwool and sawdust. In most instances, the differences between various substrates were not statistically significant. Coir was superior to sawdust when used as a substrate to produce long English cucumbers. The effect of coir on bell pepper production compared to sawdust was not consistent in this study and varied significantly depending on a variety.
The type of medium used, strongly determined the effect of zeolite. Zeolite (10% and 20%) had a beneficial effect in most cases when added to sawdust and in some cases when added to perlite (long English cucumbers). The effect of zeolite amendments to coir was not consistent. The effect of zeolite on crop production was also dependent on its mineral composition as shown in a 2005 study. The precise mechanism of zeolite effect on greenhouse crops requires further investigation.
Copy of detailed report is available from nick.savidov@gov.ab.ca
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