Scientists aim to recycle used liquid fertilizer. Gardeners invited to participate.
Members of the public, particularly members of the Olomouc Regional Association of the Czech Gardeners’ Union, will take part in an experiment organized by researchers from CATRIN at Palacký University as part of the INTERMAT project. On Friday, they visited the research center to learn about the project and its research topics and to agree on collaboration.
The task of one of the project’s research teams—on which Palacký University is collaborating with AGRO Haná a.s., Geschur Medical s.r.o., and other regional companies active in the fields of innovative plant production, biotechnology, and biomedicine—is the valorization of waste generated during the cultivation of hemp. Rather than letting it go to waste in the sewer system, researchers collected this liquid residue from the grow house over several months, conducted chemical and microbiological analyses, and treated it so that it could be used to fertilize decorative plants. Those who have joined the collaboration will be able to test its effectiveness in their own gardens.
“The goal will be to determine whether the fertilizer’s effectiveness is comparable to that of commercial products commonly used by gardeners, and whether the inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds released into the fertilizer by cannabis plants will be evident. Data collection through photographic documentation will take place throughout the growing season. We will evaluate the results together at the end of the year,” said Petr Tarkowski of CATRIN, who today introduced the gardeners to cannabis research at CATRIN and the goals of the INTERMAT project. Guests also toured the phenotyping lines for plant research—unique in the Czech Republic—and in addition to the INTERVIR project, plant phenotyping expert Lukáš Spíchal introduced them to the PATAFEST project, in which Olomouc scientists are collaborating with international colleagues to protect European potato production from certain diseases, particularly the insect-borne “zebra chip” disease, which is already devastating crops, especially in South America.
“What we heard here was very interesting, and it really caught my attention. While there are cultivation methods that work and have been used for a long time, science is advancing, and one should be willing to try new things. I consider it a benefit that we’ll be able to test the fertilizer ourselves in our own gardens,” said Rudolf Dvořák, chairman of the Regional Association of the Czech Gardeners’ Union in Olomouc.
His colleague Ludmila Směšná shares a similar view. “I like to experiment in the garden. Without that, it would be boring,” she added.
The researchers are already making plans for next year. They are focusing on the potential use of fertilizer adsorbed onto a solid carrier and its application in vegetable cultivation. However, this shall be preceded by further analyses.
The goal of the INTERMAT project is to contribute to more efficient crop cultivation in greenhouses and hydroponic systems; the INTERMAT project is intended to improve crop resilience and increase the competitiveness of companies in the region. Thanks to 63.7 million CZK in funding from the Jan Amos Komenský Operational Program under the “Cross-Sectoral Cooperation for ITI” call, researchers are focusing, for example, on the preparation and testing of new nanomaterials for plant monitoring and on the development of new growth regulators that will be more environmentally friendly. Among other things, the project is listed in the Citizen Science database.
