Biodegradable seedling pots from sawdust and spent mushroom compost

<br />Circular bioeconomy israpidly gaining ground inthe agricultural sector with priority given tothe utilisation ofmore environmentally friendly materials for production and processing. Thus, inthis study, biodegradable seedling pots were developed using sawdust (SD) and spent mushroom compost (SMC) asasustainable alternative toplastic containers. Four pots composed ofSMC:SD ratios of100:0, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50 were developed and evaluated. The mechanical properties, structural characteristics, and water absorption capacity ofthe pots were assessed and seedlings were made togrow inthem tomonitor the growth support potential. Auniversal tensile test machine was used toassess the indirect tensile strength (mechanical properties), while ascanning electron microscope was used toexamine the morphology ofthe samples. Also, images ofthe seedling roots were segmented and analysed inImageJ and WinRHIZO software todetermine the root system architecture. The results demonstrated that the 60:40 ratio exhibited superior performance including having optimal water absorption capacity, indirect tensile strength, and structural properties. The 70:30 ratio also showed comparable tensile strength values. However, increasing the SMC content inthe pot improved the root developments. This research presents aviable solution for converting agricultural waste into environmentally friendly seedling containers and suggests apotential option for reducing the dependency onplastic pots inagriculture.