INTERREG IIIA Greece-Italy 2000-2006
POPRURA
Posidonia oceanica: Conservation, field regeneration and residual use in agriculture
Posidonia oceanica (L.) Del .: protection, recovery of seagrasses and use of its wastes in agriculture.
I3101017
The main objective of this project was to valorise and reuse Posidonia wastes which are deposited along the beaches which nowadays are considered as a “special waste” without any further exploitation. This objective will be achieved by investigating the probable uses of this promising material as a substrate for horticulture in soilless systems under greenhouse conditions.
In the framework of the project the following have been completed:
Task 1. Determination of a technique and protocol to harvest, stock and compost Posidonia oceanica (L.) Del wastes ashore, alone or eventually by adding starter ingedients.
Task 2. Physic-chemical characterization of the most important agronomic properties of a number of compost alternatives: available mineral elements, composition, nitrogen release, heavy-metals content, physical and hydrologic properties and the presence of phytotoxic composes.
Task 3. Experiments for evaluation Posidonia wastes – raw or composted – as substrate and in soilless systems.
PRoPRuRA contributed to the reduction of use of low or non-renewable substrates – peat and rockwool – which are characterized by their high-environmental impact and mainly imported from foreign countries along with the creation of an alternative way for coastal communities to handle Posidonia wastes and lower the relevant cost.
The main results and achievements of this proposal have been published in peer-reviewed journals and technical handbooks.
Partners
Institute of Sciences of Food Production ISPA – CNR Bari (ITALY), Lead Partner
Prefecture of Cefalonia-Ithaki (Greece)
Province of Bari (ITALY)
TEI of Epirus / FLA (Greece)
Scientific manager TEIEP: Dr. Gizas G., Ass. Prof. FLA
Downloads
Technical Report of Experiments
Check relevant publication:
George Gizas, Ioannis Tsirogiannis, Maria Bakea, and Nikolaos Mantzos, 2012. Impact of Hydraulic Characteristics ofRaw or Composted Posidonia Residues, Coir, and Their Mixtures with Pumiceon Root Aeration, Water Availability, and Yield in a Lettuce Crop. HORTSCIENCE 47 (7): 896–901. 2012.
Page at EuroPuglia site: