Substitution of Hemp Hurd for Peat in Media Produced Similar Growth and Yield of a Determinate Tomato Cultivar

The ability of hemp hurd fiber to substitute for peatmoss in container production of the determinate tomato cultivar Solanum lycopersicum Little Bing™ was studied. There were four experimental media composed of different proportions of the substrates hurd, peat, and vermiculite as follows 1:0:1, 0.33:0.66:1, 0.66:0.33:1, and 0:1:1 (control). Plants produced in hurd-containing media grew vigorously, were visually indistinguishable from, and had similar height and width to control plants. Number of fruits per plant and fruit yield by weight was lower for the full hurd containing medium (1:0:1) than the control medium, whereas foliar and fruit N content was greater for the full hurd medium than the control. These findings suggest that plants in full hurd medium may have grown more vegetatively than reproductively in response to greater N uptake. The full hurd medium had the greatest porosity and plant growth in this medium may have been impacted by reduced water availability. Future studies could examine alternative irrigation applications to compensate for the higher porosity in hurd medium. Hurd substituted for ∼30% to 60% of peat in a peat:vermiculite medium will produce similar quality Little Bing™ tomato plants to traditional peat-based medium.