Analysis of mineral element contents and physical and chemical properties of corn stalk substrate

In order to explore the feasibility of corn stalk substrate for culture media, the corn stalk substrate was produced with corn stalk by fermentation inside cylinder tower. The fermentation conditions were as follows: the nitrogen resources were dry chicken manure and urea, the C/N ratio was 60︰1, the water content of the fermented material was 66% at the beginning fermentation. The corn stalk substrate was made through the process, adding the fermentation micro-organism, the high temperature fermentation period, the mid-temperature fermentation period and post-fermentation period. The contents of mineral nutrient elements and the physical and chemical properties of the corn stalk substrate and peat moss were determined respectively. The difference between the corn stalk substrate and peat moss were analyzed. Results show that the contents of mineral nutrient elements in corn stalk substrate are generally higher than that in peat moss except the contents of iron and manganese. The content of humic acid was 58.9% lower and the water-holding porosity was 24.1% smaller compared with peat moss. The pH value of corn stalk substrate was higher and the EC was 2.7 times higher than that in the peat moss. The contents of salt and alkalinity of the corn stalk substrate should be adjusted when using it to alternate the peat moss for nursing and growing in horticulture.