2022 journal article
Particle Densities of Horticultural Substrates
HORTSCIENCE, 57(3), 379–383.
author keywords: Additional index words; active porosity; coconut coir; peat; perlite; pine bark; physical; properties; pycnometer; total porosity; wood
open access via journals.ashs.org (publisher PDF)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
2. Zero Hunger
(Web of Science)
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
(Web of Science)
15. Life on Land
(OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: February 28, 2022
The heterogeneity of horticultural substrates makes basic physical characteristics, such as total porosity and particle density, difficult to estimate. Due to the material source, inclusion of occluded pores, and hydrophobicity, particle density values reported from using liquid pyknometry, vary widely. Gas pycnometry was used to determine the particle density of coir, peat, perlite, pine bark, and wood substrates. Further precision was examined by gas species and separation by particle size. The calculated particle densities for each material determined by He, N2, and air were relatively constant and varied little despite the species of gas used. Particle size affected the measured particle density of perlite and pine bark but was minimal with coir, peat, and wood. Reducing the particle size removed more occluded pores and the measured particle density increased. Given the small variability, the use of particle density values obtained by gas pycnometry provides repeatable, precise measurements of substrate material total porosity.