The Use of Wood Fiber for Reducing Risks of Hydrophobicity in Peat-Based Substrates

Stan Durand (1) , Brian E Jackson (2) , William C Fonteno (2) , Jean-Charles Michel (1)

1 EPHOR - Unité de Recherche Environnement Physique de la plante Horticole
2 NC State - North Carolina State University [Raleigh]

Peat substrates are well known to become hydrophobic during desiccation, thus degradingtheir water retention properties. Synthetic wetting agents are commonly incorporated to limit the riskof hydrophobicity, but substrates companies are searching for more sustainable alternatives. To thatend, the effect of wood fiber addition in peat-based mixes was measured using contact angles andhydration curves. The study was carried out on two raw materials (white milled peat and wood fiber)and binary mixes. The results showed a shift from hydrophilic to more hydrophobic character with adecrease in the ability to rewet of peat-based substrates in relation to the intensity of drying, whereaswood fiber remained hydrophilic. Increasing wood fiber content in peat-based mixes improvedthe rehydration efficiency, but with a lower intensity of that measured with synthetic wettingagent addition. Our results highlighted the hydrophilic nature of wood fiber and demonstrated anadditional benefit of wood fiber use in peat-based growing media.

Mots clés: peat; wood fiber; rewetting; wettability; water retention; physical properties

Domaines: Horticulture

Stan Durand, Brian E Jackson, William C Fonteno, Jean-Charles Michel. The Use of Wood Fiber for Reducing Risks of Hydrophobicity in Peat-Based Substrates. Agronomy, 2021, 11 (5), pp.907. ⟨10.3390/agronomy11050907⟩. ⟨hal-03227991⟩