Potential of Producing Organic Lettuce Seedlings without Peat Using Agricultural and Agro-industrial Compost

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El-Helaly, Mohamed M.I. Afifi, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3927758/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 16 Jul, 2024 Read the published version in Journal of Plant Nutrition → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Peat is an unrenewable resource. The potential of using composts made from a mixture of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes as peat substitutes was evaluated in this study. Four compost piles (C1-C4) were constructed by mixing various wastes after estimating their properties. C1 was a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio mixture of filter mud, mushroom waste, and date-palm fronds, while C2-C4 were a 0.5:1 weight ratio mixture between either bagasse, cutting grassland, or date-palm fronds and cattle dung. After four months of decomposition, the compost’s physical, chemical, and biological properties were estimated in comparison to commercial compost (CC), peatmoss (PM), and their ideal ranges (IR) for seed germination and seedling growth. Composts had significant differences in physical and chemical properties. Some composts revealed property values within the IR. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that composts lack peat-like properties. Composts had a lower C/N ratio and organic matter, along with higher bulk density, electrical conductivity, and pH compared to PM. Cattle manure enhanced organic matter and carbon, total nitrogen and potassium, and ammonium levels and reduced ash levels in C2-C4, compared to filter mud in C1. The suitability of C1-C4, CC, and PM substrates for growing crisp lettuce 'Big Bell' seedlings was evaluated during the winters of 2018 and 2019 under plastic-house conditions. The substrates had significant effects on lettuce seedling traits. C2-C4 substrate seedlings’ vegetative shoots grew more rapidly than other substrate seedlings due to the increased length and diameter of their stem and leaf area. The PCA revealed that PM-substrate and C2-C4 substrates had similar effects on lettuce seedling growth traits. The proper mixing of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes based on their properties can produce compost with relatively suitable physical, chemical, and biological properties for lettuce seed germination and seedling growth. It will take more investigation to improve the C2-C4 compost’s properties by using certain techniques. Bulk density C/N ratio electrical conductivity peat substitute principal component analysis seedling growth Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 1. Introduction The establishment of commercial vegetable crops is most reliably guaranteed through containerized seedling production, compared to direct sowing, because it produces uniform and high-quality seedlings with efficient resource management (Herrera et al. 2008 ). Seedling quality is greatly influenced by the growing medium. The materials used to prepare growing media in seedling containers must be readily available year-around in one place, chemically stable, homogenous in size, porous, lightweight, and free of weed seeds, insects, pathogens, and harmful chemicals to plants (Barrett et al. 2016 ; Gruda 2019 ). Peat is the main organic component of the growth substrate for conventional and organic seedling production, thanks to its excellent physical, chemical, and biological properties for plant development (Agarwal et al. 2021 ). Peat is formed in wetlands in cold to cold-temperate areas by the natural decomposition of plant wastes. Peat’s slow formation process makes it a non-renewable resource. The horticultural sector has been encouraged to look for eco-friendly and low-cost peat alternatives due to the high environmental impact and price increases, and compost has been the most researched option. Many governments encourage using organic waste instead of disposal to create a value-added product that can be used as a peat-substitute (Buschmann et al. 2020 ). In-depth studies have been conducted on using agricultural, industrial, and consumer waste as components of nursery substrates for the past two decades (Barrett et al. 2016 ; Gruda 2019 ). Due to rapid urbanization and population growth, effective waste management is a major challenge in most Arab countries, including Egypt. In Egypt, about 71.5 million tons of agricultural wastes are produced annually, including 39.5 million tons plant residues and 31.5 million tons animal waste. Approximately 18% of agricultural waste is used as organic fertilizer, 30% is fed to animals, and 52% is not properly disposed of, which poses a threat to the environment and ecosystem (Zaki et al. 2013 ). Compost is a satisfactory alternative to peat (Abad et al. 2001 ; Butamante et al. 2008; Díaz-Pérez and Camacho-Ferre 2010 ; Sánchez-Monedero et al. 2004 ). Compost aids in improving the substrate’s biological, chemical, and physical properties, which encourages plant growth. Beneficial microorganisms in composts can promote plant nutrient availability and inhibit the growth of pathogenic organisms (Ceglie et al. 2015 ). Ribeiro et al. ( 2007 ) found that compost made from forestry wastes and solid phase was a better alternative to peat. Compost increased the pH of substrate to 6.9 from 6.3 in peat substrate without affecting the substrate’s electrical conductivity (0.26 and 0.27 ms cm -1 , respectively). Carmona et al. ( 2012 ) found that the physical properties of compost prepared from dealcoholized grapevine marc and grape stem (GM) have some limitations for use as a growing medium in the production of plug seedlings (total available water content of 12.7% in GM and 25.9% in peat), but this can be avoided by blending with other substrates and managing irrigation. Therefore, with proper watering and fertilization management, GM and GM + peat blending may be used successfully as a medium component for plug production of vegetable seedlings. Compost has several problems that render it unsuitable as a full replacement for peat as growth media for vegetable seedlings. These problems include high electrical conductivity (EC) and pH, and physical properties caused by low aeration or scarce water holding capacity (Bayoumi et al. 2019 ; Bustamante et al. 2008 ; Ribeiro et al. 2007 ; Sánchez Monedero et al. 2004). These problems were frequently associated with the materials used and the quantities in the mixtures. Therefore, peat and compost gave been found to have a beneficial synergy in substrates, with peat improving aeration and water retention and compost improving the substrate’s nutrition (Bayoumi et al. 2019 ; Bustamante et al. 2008 ; Ceglie et al. 2015 ; Mahmoud et al. 2014 ). Cocopeat, a byproduct of the coconut industry, has been used commercially as a renewable alternative to peatmoss (Yau and Murphy 2000 ). Cocopeat has similar physical properties to peat (Meena et al. 2017 ). The cocopeat industry is exclusive to America, tropical Africa, and Asia (Barrett et al. 2016 ). Date-palm fronds, which is part of the coconut family, has a strong resemblance to the fiber of coconut fruit hull (Ghehsareh et al. 2011 ). Egypt has approximately 15 million planted palms, and it is increasing annually. Approximately 10–20 date palm fronds are pruned each year (El-Sharabasy and Rizk 2019 ). Eldeeb ( 2017 ) states that 90% of the pruned fronds are burned and 10% are utilized as cages (Eldeeb 2017 ). Using date-palm frond compost as seedling substrate has been limited (Raja et al. 2021 ; Abid et al. 2018 ; Dhen et al. 2018 ). Raja et al. ( 2021 ) found that date-palm waste that decomposes over 30 weeks has better physio-chemical properties than peat and can be completely replaced in horticulture. The palm fiber compost was determined by Ceglie et al. ( 2015 ) to have appropriate properties for seedling production. Seedling responses from tomato, melon, and lettuce were best in the substrate mixture of 20% green compost, 39% palm fiber, and 31% peat. Abid et al. ( 2018 ) found that date palm waste compost had a low C:N ratio of 17, high nutrient contents (N, P, and K), and the ability to create a favorable environment for tomato seed germination and root development. Dhen et al. ( 2018 ) demonstrated that adding 25–50% of date-palm compost to commercial peat could have an impact on the substrate properties and improve lettuce seedling performance. The sugarcane industry’s enormous organic waste is a serious environmental burden in the areas where it is located. Bagasse, a by-product of the sugarcane industry, is produced during the extraction of sugarcane juice. About 6.5% of the sugarcane is composed of this dry, fibrous pulp. Bagasse’s use for animals and boilers is limited to about 50%, while the rest is burned or thrown, and requires more attention to be recycled (Zaki et al. 2013 ). According to Webber et al. ( 2016 ), the growing media of pumpkin and melon seedlings were improved by replacing peat with 25–75% bagasse compost. Filter mud from the sugarcane industry is also a common waste that accumulates and pollutes around sugar mills, resulting in storage issues (Abdel-Galeil et al. 2018 ). Filter mud, which contains a significant amount of sugar, moisture, and harmful bacteria, accounts for about 3% all sugarcane (Abdel-Galeil et al. 2018 ). The simple decomposition makes it ideal for producing compost after aerobic fermentation. Filter mud is a significant source of organic manure, acts as a substitute for plant nutrients, and improves soil (Abdel-Galeil et al. 2018 ). Berrospe-Ochoa et al. ( 2012 ) found that dried or washed filter mud compost had peat-like physical properties and improved tomato seedling growth. The cultivation and production of mushrooms leaves a sizeable amount of partially decomposed waste (5kg waste 1kg − 1 mushroom) (Semple et al. 2001 ). The world’s mushroom production has increased by over six times, from 1.6 million tons in 1980 to over 10.44.21 million tons in 2021 ( ). In mushroom-producing countries, the handling and disposal of spent mushroom wastes is still a significant environmental problem. According to Marques et al. ( 2014 ), up to 75% of mushroom compost used as a peat-substrate was the most suitable substrate for the growth and development of lettuce seedlings, resulting in an improved marketable yield. Garden waste, especially grass cutting waste, represents about 1.14 million ton per year in Egypt (Abou Hussein and Sawan 2010 ). Grass is not a suitable compost feedstock because it tends to become anaerobic and produce strong and noxious odors. Furthermore, the grass has varying levels of nitrogen and organic matter. The chemical changes that occur during the composting of different herb-leaf mixtures are not well-known (Michel et al. 1993 ). The goal of this study was to create composts as peat substitutes with the proper physical, chemical, and biological properties for the production of organic seedlings. Composts were made from various agricultural and agro-industrial wastes due to their properties. In contrast to peat and commercial compost, compost’s properties and impact on the growth and development of organic lettuce seedlings were evaluated. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Composts Production 2.1.1. Organic waste Low-value agricultural and agro-industrial wastes were used in this study to produce compost. The waste consisted of date-palm fronds (Kornef), grasslands cutting, mushroom production waste, filter mud, and bagasse, as well as cattle dung. Agricultural wastes were collected from the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. The date-palm frond waste was ground to 3-5cm pieces. Mushroom waste was retrieved from Mushroom Research Department, Central Climate Laboratory, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt. These wastes were collected during the winter and summer of 2017, naturally-dried, and stored in ventilated, dry, and isolated areas from the pests. The sugar-cone factory in Abu Quarqas, Minya, Egypt provided agro-industrial wastes, bagasse and filter mud. One to three days before composting, cattle dung and agro-industrial waste was collected to used wet. The contents of the waste’s moisture, dry matter, organic matter, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and C/N ratio was estimated as shown in Table 1 , to help decide how it should be combined. Table 1 The used waste properties. Waste z Moisture (%) Dry matter (%) Organic matter (%) Organic carbon (%) Total nitrogen (%) C/N ratio Bagasse 4.30 ± 1.02 95.70 ± 2.32 79.45 ± 2.40 46.08 ± 1.22 0.34 ± 0.01 135.6 ± 3.87 Cattle Dung 67.51 ± 4.56 32.49 ± 1.44 60.84 ± 2.11 35.29 ± 1.45 2.33 ± 0.02 15.1 ± 0.49 Date-palm leaf bases 4.33 ± 0.65 95.67 ± 2.19 83.13 ± 2.03 48.22 ± 1.32 0.64 ± 0.02 75.4 ± 0.29 Filter Mud 28.01 ± 1.91 71.99 ± 2.32 31.77 ± 1.45 18.43 ± 1.03 1.95 ± 0.07 9.5 ± 0.47 Grasslands cutting 10.08 ± 1.06 89.92 ± 2.55 87.40 ± 2.32 50.69 ± 1.75 0.87 ± 0.03 58.3 ± 0.01 Mushroom production 24.70 ± 1.94 75.30 ± 1.68 47.07 ± 1.33 27.30 ± 0.97 1.37 ± 0.05 19.9 ± 0.02 z The waste sources were as follows: date-palm leaf base, grasslands cutting, and cattle dung from Agricultural Experiment Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt (30°01'35.9"N 31°11'36.9"E); mushroom production waste from Mushroom Research Department, Central Climate Laboratory, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt; and bagasse and filter-mud from Sugar Factory, Abu Qurqas, Minya, Egypt. 2.1.2. Composting procedures Following estimates of the waste’s properties, four compost piles were constructed as follows: C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production waste, and date-palm fronds wastes; while C2-C4 were a mixture of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung at a weight ratio of 0.5:1. Initially, the pile’s physical and chemical properties were estimated to determine their suitability for the decomposition process, as shown in Table 2 . Wastes were composted in a trial facility at the Agricultural Experimental Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt during the 2017 summer (June to September). The waste mixtures were piled in trapezoidal piles that were 1.0m height with a 1.25×2m base. The piles were arranged using a completely randomized design (RCBD) with four replications. The moisture content of piles was adjusted to 50–60% of their water holding capacity. The piles were flipped inside out upside down once weekly until the compost matured (Afifi et al., 2012 ). The composting process lasted for up to four months. The compost’s maturity and suitability as a seedling substrate were assessed by estimating its physical, chemical, and biological properties and comparing them to peatmoss (PM) and the best suitable local commercial compost for seedling growth (CC). Table 2 Compost physical and chemical properties before the composting process. Property Compost z Ideal range y C1 C2 C3 C4 Bulk density (kg m − 3 ) 473 ± 15.02 477 ± 18.44 264 ± 34.33 457 ± 20.44 Moisture (%) 40–60 57 ± 5.42 65 ± 4.89 49 ± 3.45 66 ± 3.04 Dry matter (%) 43 ± 1.21 35 ± 1.39 51 ± 1.23 34 ± 1.59 pH (1:10) 5.0–8.0 7.2 ± 0.79 7.7 ± 0.63 7.5 ± 0.57 7.4 ± 0.24 EC (dS m − 1 ) 0.89 ± 0.06 1.04 ± 0.06 2.15 ± 0.04 1.33 ± 0.06 Organic matter (%) 37.96 ± 1.56 44.58 ± 1.23 53.53 ± 2.02 52.72 ± 1.89 Organic carbon (%) 22.01 ± 2.22 25.85 ± 2.04 31.04 ± 2.09 30.57 ± 1.46 Ash (%) 62.04 ± 3.22 55.42 ± 2.32 46.47 ± 3.04 47.28 ± 2.12 NH 4 (ppm) 181 ± 4.23 287 ± 2.99 242 ± 2.98 287 ± 3.70 NO 3 (ppm) 17 ± 1.55 23 ± 2.01 14 ± 1.03 11 ± 1.12 Total nitrogen (%) 1.98 ± 0.11 2.59 ± 0.22 2.86 ± 0.32 3.01 ± 0.43 Total phosphor (%) 0.95 ± 0.05 0.92 ± 0.05 0.88 ± 0.04 1.1 ± 0.05 Total potassium (%) 0.31 ± 0.01 0.37 ± 0.03 0.23 ± 0.02 0.28 ± 0.02 C/N ratio 25–35 11.1 ± 0.51 10.0 ± 0.06 10.9 ± 0.49 10.3 ± 0.99 z Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; and C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung. y The ideal ranges for decomposition process were identified by Day and Shaw ( 2001 ). 2.3.3. Compost’s physical and chemical properties The described methods in the “Methods of Soil Analysis” book series were used to estimate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of composts. The bulk density (BD) was estimated using the core method in accordance Blake and Hartge ( 1986 ). Electrical conductivity (EC) and pH of compost-water extract (1:10 volume) was measured using an EC meter (ICM model 71150, Hillsboro, USA) and a pH meter (Orion Expandable Ion Analyzer EA920, Boston, USA). The moisture and dry matter (DM) contents were estimated as percentages of fresh weight after drying the compost samples at 105°C for three days (Page et al., 1982 ). The cation exchange capacity (CEC) was determined by elution with 1 M sodium acetate at pH = 7 according to Sumner and Miller ( 1996 ). Ash content was determined by manual combustion in a muffle furnace at 650°C for 24 h. The organic matter (OM) content was estimated by glowing the dried samples at 550ºC to a constant weight, as advised by Nelson and Sommers ( 1996 ). The organic carbon (OC) content was calculated by multiplying the OM% by 58% (Nelson and Sommers 1996 ). Total nitrogen (TN) was estimated by Kjeldahl digestion (Bremner 1996 ). The estimate of soluble nitrogen NH + 4 and NO − 3 in 1N KCl was as described by Mulvaney ( 1996 ). The total phosphor (TP) was estimated in the acidic solution of the digested compost using ascorbic acid as a reluctant as described by Kuo ( 1996 ). The total potassium (TK) content of digested compost solutions was determined using flame photometry (Helmke and Sparks 1996 ). 2.3.4. Compost’s biological properties The compost’s bio-properties included counts of total coliform, fecal coliform, salmonella and shigella, and weed seeds. The total and fecal coliform, salmonella, and Shigella were counted as per Turco ( 1994 ). The compost’s phytotoxic evaluation was performed using a lettuce seed germination test as described by Priac et al. ( 2017 ). Lettuce seeds are used for germination and phytotoxicity tests due to their specific properties, such as rapid growth and germination, and high sensitivity to toxic substances (Banks and Chultz 2005). The compost sample was soaked in distilled water (1: 10 ratio; w:v) for two hours on a horizontal shaker at 150 rpm. The soaked solution was filtered to use the filtrate for the germination test. Filtration paper was used to cover the bottom of Petri dishes (11cm diameter and 15-20mm depth). The paper was moistened with 5 ml of aqueous extract. Fifty plump undamaged lettuce seeds of almost identical size were evenly placed on the filter paper. Five Petri dishes were prepared for every testing compost. Five Petri dishes were used for a control test with distilled water. The Petri dishes were sealed with parafilm and placed in an incubator at 28 ± 2°C and in darkness. A seed was considered germinated when the radicle reached a length of more than 2 mm. After 7 days, germinated seeds were counted to estimate the germination percentage [GP= (No. of germinated seeds/Total No. of seeds)/100] and the germination rate (GR = No. of germinated seeds in the sample/No. of germinated seeds in the control). 2.2. Lettuce Production Crisp lettuce cultivar ‘Big Ball’ seeds were sown on substrate of one of the produced composts (C1-C4), CC, or PM to assess its suitability as a peat substitute. The evaluation of seedling growth and development were conducted during the 2018 and 2019 winter seasons. Lettuce seeds were sown on 1st October of both seasons in Styrofoam trays (65 × 38 × 8.3 cm and 209 conical cells) under plastic house conditions at a private nursery in Al Mansouryah, Imbaba, Giza Governate, Egypt (30°07’34.0”N 31°05’09.9”E). The essential substrate for sowing lettuce seeds was a mixture of PM and vermiculate (1:1 by volume). The produced composts (C1-C4) or CC were used place of PM in another substrate. A RCBD with four replicates was used for the experiment, resulting in 24 experimental units (EU) from six growing media. Each EU had a tray. Large quantities of substrate mixtures were mixed and moistened. The trays were subsequently filled, and seeds were sown in trays at a rate of one seed/cell. Transplants grew for 5 weeks without any fertilization. Seedling quality has an effect on tolerance to transplanting stress, and the quantity and quality of yield (Kratky and Mishima 1981 ). Therefore, five-week-old lettuce seedlings were field transplanted at a private farm in Al Mansouryah (30°05'51.2"N 31°07'20.6"E) during both seasons. Before planting, the soil’s properties and element content were estimated (Table 3 ). Seedlings were arranged using a RCBD with four replicates. Each EU had two rows. Each row was 0.6×3.0 m. Plants were set 30 cm apart and subjected to common agricultural practices without using chemical fertilizers. Figure 1 shows the climate during seedling production and growing periods. Table 3 Physicochemical properties of soils before experiment in 2018 and 2019 seasons. Property 2018 season 2019 season Clay (%) 24.0 ± 1.22 24.0 ± 1.32 Sand (%) 50.0 ± 1.15 50.0 ± 1.45 Silt (%) 26.0 ± 0.67 26.0 ± 1.04 pH (1:10 H 2 O) 7.67 ± 0.38 7.65 ± 0.45 Electrical conductivity (dS m − 1 ) 0. 37 ± 0.07 0.41 ± 0.02 Organic carbon (%) 0.82 ± 0.05 0. 92 ± 0.03 Organic nitrogen (%) 0.13 ± 0.01 0.14 ± 0.01 C/N ratio 6.31 ± 0.10 6. 58 ± 0.26 Available Phosphor (mg kg − 1 ) 81.60 ± 2.09 68.70 ± 1.76 Exchangeable Potassium (cmol kg − 1 ) 2.41 ± 0.82 2. 57 ± 0.46 Exchangeable Calcium (cmol kg − 1 ) 16.50 ± 1.06 17.32 ± 1.33 2.2.1. Lettuce seedling growth parameters Ten five-week-old seedlings/EU were selected randomly from the middle of the tray and collected. Estimates were performed for seedling stem length (SL; from the soil surface to the top of the seedling), diameter (SD; at the soil surface), first true leaf area (LA), fresh weights of shoot (FSW) and root (FRW) and the ratio between them (S:R ratio), leaf photosynthesis pigments content, and NPK content, as well as the residual NPK in growing media. The leaf weighting method described by Pandey and Singh ( 2011 ) was used to estimate the LA. Half-gram of fresh lettuce leaves was ground in 5ml of dimethylformamide to extract photosynthesis pigments. Pigments were determined using the spectrophotometer at 664, 647, and 480 nm (Moran 1982 ). Chlorophylls and carotenoids were computed by the following equations: Chlorophyll A (Chlor-A) = 11.65A 664 – 2.69A 647 , Chlorophyll B (Chlor-A) = 20.81A 647 – 4.53A 664 , and Total Carotenoids (T-Carot) = (1000A 480 – 1.42Ca – 46.09Cb)/202. The total concentrations of N, P, and K were estimated in the dried seedlings. The TN was analyzed using a kjeldahl digestion apparatus, as stated by Schaffer and Sprecher ( 1957 ). To analyze TP and TK, a 9:4:1 mixture of HNO 3 :H 2 SO 4 : HClO 4 was used in a wet digestion procedure. The TP was estimated using the phosphomolybdate method (Jackson 1976). The yellow color was formed at 420 nm using a spectrophotometer, and the P content from the standard curve was computed. TK estimation was performed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer at 766.5 nm wavelength (Brown and Lilliland 1946). TK content is represented by the absorbance concentration in the sample solution. The estimation of N, P, and K residuals in seedling substrates was based on the described methods of Bremner ( 1996 ), Kuo ( 1996 ), and Helmke and Sparks ( 1996 ), respectively. 2.2.2. Quantity and Quality of lettuce yield The following traits were estimated 75 days after transplanting (DAT) on 10 mature heads/EU, randomly selected and harvested: head weight (HW), marketable head weight (MHW), number of inner (consumable; NHIL) and outer (non-consumable; NHOL) leaves of the head, head firmness (HF; an indicator of the fusion of leaves, measured using a food pressure tester, Force Gauge Model M4-200), and head stem diameter (HSD). 2.3. Statistical analysis The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality of the data collected for composts, seedlings, and plants. The Arcsine square root equation was used to transform non-normally distributed data (Wickens and Keppel 2004 ). ANOVA of the RCBD was performed, according to Wickens and Keppel ( 2004 ). The Duncan’s multiple range test at a 5% probability level was used to compare means (Wickens and Keppel 2004 ). MSTATc v.2.1 (Michigan State University, Michigan, USA) was used for the ANOVA and mean comparisons. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate peat substitutes, identify compost properties that contributed the most to the observed variance among composts, and select the best peat-substitute. Significant components were identified using parallel analysis and the latent root criteria (eigenvalue > 1) in statistics (Johnson and Wichern 1988 ). The first two PCs formed a biplot that accurately represented a large portion of the total variance. The biplot was used to evaluate the correlations between PCs and variables and inter-variables (Rencher 2002 ). Yan and Kang ( 2003 ) stated that the correlation coefficient between two traits can be calculated by estimating the cosine of the angle between vectors. If the angle is exactly 90°, vectors are independent, positively correlated if it is 90°. PCA was conducted using IBM SPSS software version 26.0.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) and XLSTAT software version 2019 (Addinsoft, Paris, France). 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Wastes analysis Previous studies demonstrated the potential of using composts made from waste of date palm fronds (Abid et al. 2018 ; Ceglie et al. 2015 ; Dhen et al. 2018 ; Raja et al. 2021 ), mushroom cultivation (Marques et al. 2014 ), filter mud (Abdel-Galeil et al. 2018 ; Berrospe-Ochoa et al. 2012 ), and bagasse (Webber et al. 2016 ) as peat substitutes. These wastes were selected in this study mainly because of their low value in the industrial conversion process and their widespread availability (Abdel-Galeil et al. 2018 ; Abou Hussein and Sawan 2010 ; Eldeeb 2017 ; Zaki et al. 2013 ), which imposes a significant burden on the environment. However, there are a few reasons why compost cannot replace peat completely. The idea behind this study was to produce compost by combining agricultural and agro-industrial wastes, which could improve the compost’s properties and bring it closer to peat’s properties, which are ideal for seedling growth. The optimal conditions for composting are temperatures between 55–60°C (during the thermophilic stage), moisture levels between 40–60%, a pH range of 5.0–8.0, and an initial C/N ratio of 25–35 (Day and Shaw 2001 ). The wastes were analyzed to determine its properties and suitability for decomposition. The waste’s properties are displayed in Table 1 . The waste contained varying levels of moisture, dry matter, organic matter, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and C/N ratio. The dry matter content was between 32% with cattle dung and 97% with bagasse (Table 1 ). The wastes had a low moisture content (4–28%; Table 1 ), making them unsuitable for composting, except for cattle dung (67%). The waste had a C/N ratio of 9.5 in filter mud to 136.3 in bagasse (Table 1 ), but none of it met the required ratio for decomposition. The presence of high C/N ratios in bagasse, date palm Kornefs, and grass indicates that there is insufficient nitrogen for the optimal growth of the native compost microflora. Therefore, the decomposition of organic matter is significantly slowed down, and the temperature of compost piles is lowered, which prevents the disposal of seeds, plant and human pathogens, resulting in improperly stabilized compost (Day and Shaw 2001 ). Low C/N ratios (< 25) in cattle dung and filter mud indicates an excess of nitrogen, which speeds up the decomposition process, increases the compost pile’s temperature, produces ash, and losses nitrogen as ammonia (Day and Shaw 2001 ). The waste was mixed with filter mud or cattle dung in any mix to achieve the appropriate range of waste properties for the decomposition process. Four Piles were created and their physical and chemical properties were analyzed. All piles had higher levels of BD (except for C2), pH, NH 4 , N, P, and K and lower levels of OM and C/N ratio, as shown in Table 2 . 3.2. The compost’s properties The compost’s physical, chemical, and biological properties after 4 months of composting were estimated and compared using CC, PM, and the ideal range (IR) for seed germination and seedling growth identified by Abad et al. ( 2001 ), Noguera et al. ( 2003 ), and Handreck and Black ( 2010 ) to determine its maturity and suitability as a peat substitute. 3.2.1. Physical properties Figure 2 illustrates the physical properties of composts. The BD (kg m − 3 ) of composts varied between 221.75 in PM to 717.13 in C2 (Fig. 2 A) with significant differences between them ( P < 0.001). The BD of composts C1-C4 was higher (547.6, 717.1, 610.8, and 594.4, respectively) than that of CC (541.4) and PM (221.8). According to Abad et al. ( 2001 ) and Noguera et al. ( 2003 ), the BD of all composts, except PM, was higher than the IR (400kg m − 3 ). The pH of composts (7.0-7.5) exceeded that of PM (3.4) with significant differences ( P < 0.001) between them (Fig. 2 B). PM was commonly thought of as acidic, while CC and C2 were neutral (6.9 and 7.0, respectively), while C1, C4, and C3 tend to be alkaline (7.5, 7.2, and 7.1, respectively). Substrate-pH can affect the biological functions of seedlings, such as water uptake by roots, transpiration, photosynthesis, CO 2 assimilation, etc. (Kamaluddin and Zwiazek, 2004). IR-pH (5.0-5.7) did not applicable to any composts, including PM as per Abad et al. ( 2001 ) and Noguera et al. ( 2003 ). The highest EC (dS m − 1 ) was achieved by CC (4.55), followed by C1 (3.11), C3 (2.11), C2 (1.93), and C4 (1.52), with significant differences ( P < 0.001) between them (Fig. 2 C). PM had the lowest EC (1.11). EC is an indicator of the concentration of soluble salts (Visconti and de Paz 2016 ). A high EC has a negative impact on germination, photosynthesis, and plant vigor (Handreck and Black 2010 ). Conversely, a low EC value indicates a lack of available salts. According to Abad et al. ( 2001 ), all composts had ECs that exceeded the IR (< 0.5 dS m − 1 ; Fig. 1 C). However, according to Noguera et al ( 2003 ), PM, C2, and C4 exhibited ECs within the IR (0.75–1.99 dS m − 1 ; Fig. 2 C). Cattle manure reduced the pH, BD, and EC of the produced composts C2-C4, compared to C1, which contained filter mud (Fig. 2 ). This is more noticeable in C4, where date palm frond waste is mixed with cattle dung, as opposed to C1, where it is mixed with filter mud and mushroom production waste. Despite having the same amount of cattle dung, the composts for the wastes cutting grassland (C3) and bagasse (C2) had lower pH, BD, and EC than those of the date palm waste compost (C4). 3.2.2. Chemical properties Significant ( P < 0.001) differences in DM% were found among composts (Fig. 3 A). The DM% of the produced composts was lower, with a range of 20.5 to 35.1%, compared to CC (65.50%) and PM (43.25%) (Fig. 3 A). Ash was estimated to indicate the mineral content of the compost, particularly micro nutrients. The produced composts had a higher ash percentage (69.01–78.44%) compared to PM and CC (11.98% and 3.46%, respectively), with significant differences among them ( P < 0.001) (Fig. 3 B). The patterns for both OM% and OC% were similar (Fig. 3 C&D). The produced composts had lower OM%&OC% (21.8–31.4% and 12.6–18.1%, respectively) than those in PM (96.8 and 56.1%, respectively) and CC (88.2 and 51.2%, respectively), with significant differences among them ( P < 0.001) (Fig. 3 C&D). The OM% of all composts, except CC and PM, was lower than the IR (80–100%) (Abad et al. 2001 ; Noguera et al. 2003 ). The highest C/N ratio was for PM (42.77), followed by CC, C3, C1, C2, and C4 was the highest (27.04, 14.61, 14.58, 13.97, and 12.17, respectively), with significant ( P < 0.001) differences among them (Fig. 3 E). According to Abad et al. ( 2001 ) and Noguera et al ( 2003 ), PM and CC only exhibit the C:N ratio within the IR (20–40). The CEC-substrate is used to measure the capacity to adsorb and exchange cations at a specific pH (Ugochukwu 2019 ). Two advantages of high CEC growing substrates are their ability to store more nutrients and release them to the plant, as well as their ability to withstand pH changes more effectively (Handreck and Black 2010 ). The CEC (meq L − 1 ) varied from 56.0 in C4 to 99.2 in PM with significant ( P < 0.001) differences among them (Fig. 3 F). PM had the highest CEC (99.2), followed by C2 (64.6), C3 (57.4), CC (60.4), C1 (56.7), and C4 (56.0), in that order. According to Handreck and Black ( 2010 ), a growing substrate with a CEC of 50–200 meq L − 1 is the ideal choice. The CEC for all evaluated composts was within the IR. The seedling’s ability to grow and develop well is determined by the nutrients in the substrate. The TN, TP, and TK contents of the compost were estimated. Significant ( P < 0.001) differences were found in the content of these nutrients between the composts, as shown in Fig. 4 . Composts had higher levels of P (0.20% in CC to 0.46% in C4; Fig. 4 D) and K (0.46% in CC to 0.81% in C2; Fig. 3 E), and C4 had higher N levels (1.90%; Fig. 4 C) than PM (0.03, 0.01, and 1.32%, respectively). All composts, except for PM for K level alone, had higher P and K contents than the IRs (Noguera et al. 2003 ). Higher plants absorb nitrogen from the substrate in the form of ammonium (NH 4 ) and nitrate (NO 3 ). The majority of plants prefer to use NO 3 as a nitrogen source (Britto and Kronzucker 2002 ). High NH 4 levels can hinder seed germination and seedling development (Wichuk and McCartney 2010). The N content of NO 3 and NH 4 was significantly ( P < 0.001) different (Fig. 4 A&B). As the compost matures, the contents of NH 4 and NO 3 decline. Microorganisms oxidized NH 4 to NO 3 and caused a rise in NO 3 levels (Chukwujindu et al. 2006 ). In general, the compost (C1-C4) had a higher level of NO 3 (195.5-301.5 ppm) than NH 4 (55.3–90.3 ppm; Fig. 4 A&B). CC and PM had a higher NH 4 concentration (58.4 and 200.5 ppm, respectively) than NO 3 (10.1 and 5.1 ppm, respectively). The NH 4 + concentration in all composts was higher than IR (< 1 ppm; Fig. 4 A) (Noguera et al. 2003 ). The NO 3 content in C4 was only within the IR (100–200 ppm), whereas it was higher in C1-C3 and lower in CC and PM (Noguera et al. 2003 ). The compost's inorganic nitrogen (N-NH4 and N-NO3) content was extremely low compared to its TN level. The proportion of compost's inorganic nitrogen ranged from 0.84% with CC to 3.36% with C1. This could be because of its high compost's microbial content combined with its high organic nitrogen content, which includes hydrolysis nitrogen, amino acid nitrogen, amino sugar nitrogen, ammonia organic nitrogen, and unhydrolysable nitrogen (Yu et al. 2019 ). Cattle manure enhanced OM, OC, TN, TK, and NH 4 levels, and reduced ash levels of the created composts C2-C4 compared to C1, which contained filter mud. This is more evident in C4 (cattle dung and date palm frond waste) than in C1 (filter mud and waste of mushroom production and date palm fronds). Ash and NO 3 and C/N levels were higher in composts C3 (cattle dung and cutting grassland waste) and C2 (cattle dung and bagasse), while OM, OC, TN, and TP levels were higher in C4, despite the presence of the same amount of cattle dung in each. 3.2.3. Biological properties The evaluation of compost’s biological properties is often carried by detecting markers such as coliform bacteria and weed seeds, as well as estimating the germination percentage (Turco, 1994 ). The results of the biological count for composts are displayed in Table 4 . The absence of bacteria and seeds in the produced composts (C1-C4), CC, and PM indicates that the composting and maturing processes were successful. Table 4 Biological properties of composts during composting process. Compost z Total coliform Fecal coliform Salmonella & shigella Seed weed Germination percentage y Germination rate y C1 ND ND ND ND 80.5 ± 2.87 a 0.98 ± 0.04 a C2 ND ND ND ND 84.5 ± 0.50 a 1.03 ± 0.01 a C3 ND ND ND ND 78.0 ± 2.94 ab 0.95 ± 0.04 a C4 ND ND ND ND 80.5 ± 3.20 a 0.98 ± 0.05 a CC ND ND ND ND 71.5 ± 2.22 b 0.87 ± 0.03 b PM ND ND ND ND 82.0 ± 0.82 a 0.98 ± 0.03 a z Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss. y Mean value ± standard error (n = 4). germination percentage data were transformed by the arcsin equation for statistical analysis. Means followed by a letter in common were not significantly different at the 5% level according to Duncan’s multiple range test. ND: No data. The percentage and germination rate of local lettuce seeds in the aqueous compost extract showed significant differences ( P < 0.05) among them (Table 4 ). The aqueous extract of the produced compost (C1-C4) and PM had high germination percentages (80.5, 84.5, 78.0, 80.5, and 82.0%, respectively), with no significant differences ( P < 0.05) between them. This also coincided with a significantly high germination rate, ranging from 0.95 with C3 to 1.03 with C2. The lowest germination percentage was recorded with the aqueous extract of CC (71.5%), coinciding with the lowest rate of 0.87 (Table 4 ). The lower germination rate with CC is due to its high salinity and alkalinity. 3.2.4. Multivariate analysis PCA were used to assess the relationships among properties and composts that are most affecting for those properties. PCA reduced the dimension of the 14 properties to two PCs (Fig. 5 A), which accounted for 93.94% of the total variance based on the Kaiser’s criteria (eigenvalue ≥ 1) (Johnson and Wichern 1988 ). Yan and Kang ( 2003 ) suggest that higher eigenvalues are the most effective way to describe properties among the main components because they account for at least 10% variation. The estimated properties had a significant impact on the first two PCs. PC1 represented 72.2% of the total variation (Fig. 5 A) and was positive for BD, pH, ash, NO 3 , TP, and TK, while being negative for OM, OC, C: N, CEC, and NH 4 (Fig. 5 B). PC2 was positively correlated with EC, DM, and TN, accounting for 21.8% of the total variation. The biplot presents vectors that represent compost properties and shows their correlation among them, as stated by Yang and Kang (2003). The vectors on the sides have a slight correlation. The properties of parallel vectors that are going in the same direction have a strong positive correlation. Opposite vectors have a strong negative correlation in their properties. Therefore, each of the properties in the following property groups shows strong positive correlations: Group I consisted of EC, pH, BD, TK, and TP; Group II consisted of C/N, CEC, and NH 4 ; Group III consisted of DM, OM, OC, and TN; and Group IV consisted of TP, ASH, TK, and NO 3 (Fig. 5 B). The properties of Groups I and II, as well as the properties of Groups III and IV, showed strong negative correlations. Understanding the composting process thoroughly can aid in gaining a better understanding of the correlation between the different compost properties. Organic wastes are broken down by the decomposed bacteria to obtain organic carbon and nitrogen. As a result, the waste’s surface area increases, leading to an increase in BD while decreasing OM, OC, TN, and C/N (Day and Shaw 2001 ; Abdel Galeil et al. 2018). The maturation process of compost results in an increase in NO 3 levels and a decrease in NH 4 levels because the nitrification process oxidizes NH 4 to NO 3 (Chukwujindu et al. 2006 ). Additionally, more humic compounds are produced and accumulated, which chelate macro- and micronutrients. Thus, as the compost matures, EC, CEC, TP, and TK grow (Abdel Galeil et al. 2018). Comparing established composts (C1–C4) before (Table 2 ) and after composting (Figs. 2 – 4 ) illustrates these evident correlations. Following four months of composting, there was a decrease in the compost’s contents of OM (37.10% with C2 to 46.8% with C3), OC (37.3% with C2 to 46.5% with C3), TN (50.2% with C4 to 59.4% with C3), NH4 (68.5% with C2 to 70.2% with C4), and TP (52.17% with C2 to 58.2% with C4). A rise was found in the compost’s properties: BD (15.8% with C1 to 131.4% with C3), C/N ratio (18.5% with C4 to 40.0% with C2), NO 3 (1210.9% with C2 to 1677.3% with C4), and TK (118.9% with C2 to 147.8% with C3). All composts had an increase in EC, except for C3, which saw a 1.86% decrease. The C/N ratio unexpectedly increased by 18.5% with C4 to 40.0% with C2. Furthermore, the TP content of the compost decreased by 52.2% with C2 to 58.2% with C4. The reduction of TP may be attributed to organic phosphorus mineralization and bacteria’s consumption (Kalamdhad and Kazmi 2009 ). The biplot shows that composts are separated in all four quarters (Fig. 5 B), which suggests that there is considerable variation among them (Yan and Kang 2003 ). The distribution of composts C1-C3 within the same quarter is likely to result in minimal differences. C4’s distribution near C1-C3 despite being in an independent quadrant shows their similarity. PM and CC are distinct from composts C1-C4 in their distribution in independent quadrants (Fig. 5 B). The choice of CC as a control in this study was based on its reliability as a commercial compost available locally and its use by many commercial nurseries. CC showed a reduced level of NH 4 , a moderate level of BD, pH, Ash, OM, OC, C: N, CEC, NO 3 , TP, and TK, and an elevated level of EC, DM, and TN (Fig. 5 B). The high salt content of CC prevents it from being a good substrate choice for seedlings. The produced composts C1-C4 had a low level of DM, OM, OC, C/N, CEC, and TN, a moderate level of EC and NH 4 , and a high level of BD, pH, Ash, NO 3 , TP, and TK (Fig. 5 B). However, PM had low levels of BD, pH, EC, Ash, NO 3 , TP, and TK; moderate levels of DM and TN; and high levels of OM, OC, C/N, CEC, and NH 4 (Fig. 5 B). The results from previous studies were consistent. Raja et al. ( 2021 ) found that date palm frond compost had low levels of OM and OC, and high levels of BD, pH, CEC, TN, TP, and TK than PM. Dhen et al. ( 2018 ) found that date palm waste compost, despite having a lower BD value than PM, has higher pH and EC values. Abdel-Galeil et al. ( 2018 ) discovered that composts derived from filter mud or mushroom waste had higher pH, EC, NH4, NO3, ash, TP, and TK, and lower OC, OM, and C/N compared to PM. The BD of mushroom waste compost was inferior to that of PM. According to Berrospe-Ochoa et al. (2010), the compost made from filter mud and cattle manure had less OM and C/N, and more BD, pH, EC, TN, TP, and TK compared to PM. Compost's properties make it partially unsuitable for seedling substrate use. According to Paradelo et al. ( 2012 ), the compost’s low OM content hinders seed germination, extending the germination period and delaying the seedling growth. Low C/N ratios in compost indicate an excess of nitrogen, particularly NH 4 (Fig. 4 A), which hinders seed germination and seedling growth (Wichuk and McCartney 2010). The compost’s high BD inhibits seedling root development and inflation, as well as substrate aeration, reducing the availability of oxygen required for the roots to absorb water and nutrients (Dhen et al. 2018 ; Jayasinghe 2011). The alkaline compost impacts the availability of nutrients for root uptake (Jayasinghe 2011; Kamaluddin and Zwiazek 2004). The compost’s high EC reduces seed germination, root elongation, and the amount of nutrients absorbed (Nasri et al. 2015 ). According to Díaz-Pérez and Camacho-Ferre ( 2010 ), the compost’s high pH and EC reduced seed germination and affected seedling height, diameter, and height/diameter ratios. 3.3. Lettuce seedlings growth and productivity 3.3.1. Seedling vegetative growth To produce strong seedlings, consideration must be given to the diameter and length of the seedling stem, the fresh weights of the root and shoot, and the leaf area (Dhen et al. 2018 ). Figure 6 display the results of the vegetative traits of lettuce seedlings grown on substrates for the produced composts, compared to those for PM and CC. The SL of the seedlings grown on different substrates ranged from 8.38cm on CC to 10.75cm on C2 in the 2018 season, and from 10.75cm on CC to 17.25cm on C3 in the 2019 season, with significant ( P < 0.001) differences among them in both seasons (Fig. 6 A). Substrate-C3 produced the longest stems in both seasons (16.13 and 17.25 cm, respectively), with no significant differences from those of substrate-PM in the 2018 season. Seedling SL for substrates C2, C4, and PM was significant similar. Substrate-CC’s seedlings were the shortest in both seasons (Fig. 6 A). The seedling SD ranged from 0.28 cm with substrate-CC to 0.48 cm with substrate-C3 in 2018 season, and from 0.09 cm with substrate-CC to 0.24 cm with substrates of C1 and C2 in 2019 season, with significant ( P < 0.001) differences among them in both seasons (Fig. 6 B). In both season, thicker seedlings were produced on each of substrates C3 (0.48 and 0.23 cm, respectively) and C4 (0.46 and 0.22 cm, respectively) compared to PM (0.32 and 0.20 cm, respectively) and CC (0.09 for both seasons). The seedling SD in substrates of the produced composts and PM did not have a significant ( P < 0.05) difference during the 2019 season (Fig. 6 B). The compost had significant ( P < 0.001) impact on the fresh weights of seedling shoot (SFW) and root (RFW). SFW varied from 0.15g on substrate-CC to 1.63 on substrate-C3 in the 2018 season, and from 0.16g on substrate-CC to 1.66g on substrate-C3 in the 2019 season (Fig. 6 C). The RFW fluctuated between 0.43g on substrate-CC to 0.41g on substrate-C4 in the 2018 season, and between 0.45g on substrate-CC to 0.38g on substrate-C3 in the 2019 season (Fig. 6 D). In both seasons, substrate-C3 produced the highest SFW (1.37 and 1.64g, respectively) and RFW (0.40 and 0.38 g, respectively), followed by those for C2, C4, and CP, with no significant ( P < 0.05) differences between them (Fig. 6 C-D). In both seasons, substrate-CC produced the lowest SFW (0.15 and 0.16g, respectively) and RFW (0.04 and 0.05g, respectively) (Fig. 6 C-D). The seedling shoot: root ratios did not show any significant differences among the substrates. The seedling LA (cm 2 ) experienced ranging between 4.20 on substrate-CC to 12.28 on substrate-C2 in the 2018 season, and from 2.20 on substrate-CC to 20.95 on substrate-C3 in the 2019 season (Fig. 6 E). In both seasons, seedlings grown on substrate-C3 produce the most leaf area (12.11 and 20.95, respectively), followed by those produced on substrates for C2 (12.28 and 17.13, respectively), C4 (11.37 and 12.73, respectively), and CP (11.13 and 13.00, respectively), with no significant ( P < 0.05) differences between them in the 2018 season alone. The LA of substrate-CC seedlings were the lowest in both seasons (Fig. 6 E). 3.3.2. Seedling chlorophyll and carotenoids content Chlorophylls and carotenoids in leaves can serve as an indicator of the physiological status of the plant's photosynthetic function. Figure 7 displays the leaf content of chlorophylls and carotenoids. The content of chlor-a (mg g -1 FW) in the seedling leaves ranged from 3.57 with substrate-CC to 6.61 with substrate-C2, and from 15.08 with substrate-CC to 17.18 with substrate-C3, with significant ( P < 0.05) differences among them in the 2018 only (Fig. 7 A). During the 2018 season, seedlings grown on substrates for C2, C3, and C4 had the highest leaf content of chlor-a (6.61, 5.63, and 4.60 mg g -1 FW, respectively). The content of chlor-b (mg g -1 FW) in the seedling leaves was between 1.30 with substrate-C3 and 1.82 with substrate-C2 in the 2018 season, and between 9.22 with substrate-CC and 24.54 with substrate-C1, with significant ( P < 0.01) differences among them in only the 2019 season (Fig. 7 B). During the 2019 season, seedlings grown on substrates for C1 and C3 had the highest leaf content of chlor-b (24.54 and 19.20 mg g -1 FW, respectively). Substrate-CC’s seedlings had the least chlor-b, but they were not significantly different from those of substrate-C2’s seedlings. The leaf content of t-cholr (mg g -1 ) varied from 4.98 with substrate-CC to 8.43 with substrate-C2 in the 2018, and from 24.30 with substrate-CC to 41.68 with substrate-C1 (Fig. 7 C). In both seasons, substrate-C3 seedlings had the highest level of leaf t-chlor (6.93 and 36.38, respectively), with no significant differences from those of substrates for C2 in the 2018 (8.43) and C1 in the 2019 (41.68). The t-carot leaf contents (mg g -1 FW) were between 1.27 with substrate-CC to 2.33 with substrate-C3 in the 2018 season, and 7.32 with substrate-CC to 9.62 with subsatre-C1 in the 2019 seasons. During both seasons, the highest level of leaf t-chlor observed with seedling of substrates for C2 (2.17 and 8.52) and C3 (2.33 and 9.34), with no significant differences from those of substrates for C1, C4, and PM in the 2019 season (9.62, 8.76, 8.71). In both seasons, substrate-CC seedlings had the lowest level of leaf t-carot, with no significant differences from those of substrates for C1, C4, and PM seedlings in 2018. Substrate-C3 seedlings had the highest levels of carotenoids and chlorophylls in both seasons, with almost no significant differences from those of substrates for C2 and C4 seedlings (Fig. 7 ). This may be due to the high content of NPK nutrients in these composts (Fig. 4 ). Atland et al. (2002) found a positive correlation between the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves and the nitrogen content of the growth substrate. Also, Neto et al. (2005) found that P and K minerals in growth substrates can have a positive impact on the formation of carotenoids and chlorophylls. Seedlings of substrate-CC had the least content of chlorophyll and carotenoids during both seasons (Fig. 7 ). In the 2018 season, chlor-a was more abundant than chlor-b (Fig. 7 A&B), with a chlor-a/chlor-b ratio ranging from 2.5 with substrate-CC to 4.3 with substrate-C3. In 2019, the quantity of chlor-a and chlor-b was almost convergent (Fig. 7 A&B), with a chlor-a/chlor-b ratio ranging from 0.7 with substrate-C1 to 1.2 with substrate-CC. Franzoni et al. ( 2022 ) observed an increase in chlor-a and a decrease in chlor-b in response to salt stress in lettuce plants. In addition, the fact that chlor-b is degraded to chlor-a (Fang et al., 1998 ), could be the explanation for the high chlorophylls content measured in lettuce seedling leaves of C2-C4 seedlings compared to CC-seedlings (Fig. 7 A-C). 3.3.3. Seedling nutrient content and substrate’s residue nutrients Compost had a significant ( P < 0.001) impact on the seedling content of each N, P, and K in in both seasons (Fig. 8 A-C). The N content (mg 100g -1 DW) in seedlings ranged from 1.19 on substrate-C1 to 2.03 on substrate-C3 in the 2018 season, and from 1.91 on substrate-C2 to 2.31 on substrate-C1 in the 2019 season (Fig. 8 A). In both seasons, substrate-C3 seedlings had the highest significantly N content (2.03 and 2.18, respectively), with no significant ( P < 0.05) differences from those for C1 (2.31) and C4 (2.25) in only 2019 (Fig. 8 A). The P content (mg 100g -1 DW) in the seedlings ranged from 0.09 with substrate-CC to 0.27 with substrate-PM in the 2018 season, and from 0.21 with substrate-C2 to 0.28 on substrate-C4 in the 2019 season (Fig. 8 B). The highest seedling P content was found with substrate-PM in the 2018 season and with substrates for C1 and C4 in the 2019 season (Fig. 8 B). The K content (mg 100g -1 ) in the seedlings was between 3.75 with substrate-C1 to 4.87 with substrate-C3 in the 2018 season, and between 4.03 with substrate-CC to 5.86 with substrate-C4 in the 2019 season (Fig. 8 C). In both seasons, substrate-C4 seedlings had the highest significant K content (4.56 and 5.86, respectively), with no significant differences from those of substrates for C2 (4.66), C3 (4.87), and CP (4.41) in 2018, and for C1 (5.12) in 2019 (Fig. 8 C). Generally, seedlings grown on substrates for the produced compost had a higher NPK content than those of PM and CC. This coincides with an increase in NPK content (Fig. 4 ) and a moderation in salinity level (Fig. 2 C) of the produced compost. These findings were in line with those of Ribeiro et al. ( 2007 ) and Bustamante et al. ( 2008 ), who found that lettuce seedling elemental content rose as they grew on various compost substrates known for their high elements content and moderate EC. Compost had a significant ( P < 0.001) impact on the residual N, P, and K content in growth substrates after seedling were grown in both seasons (Fig. 8 D-F). The substrates with the highest residual N (mg 100g -1 ) were C2, C4, C3, C1, PM, and CC, with a range of 76.4–12.2 in 2018 and C3, C4, PM, C1, CC, and C2 with a range of 8.1–6.2 in 2019 (Fig. 8 D). The greatest contents of residual P (mg 100g -1 ) were found in the substrates for CC, PM, C4, C1, C3, and CC in 2018, with a range of 6.51–21.86; and those for C4, C3, C2, PM, CC, and C1 in 2019, with a range of 40.71–65.47 (Fig. 8 E). The highest residual K contents (mg 100g -1 ) were found, in order, in substrates for C2, PM, C3, CC, C4, and C1 with a range of 740.49-1230.99 in 2018, and those for C3, C2, PM, C4, and CC with a range of 1214.01-1568.03 in 2019 (Fig. 8 F). In both seasons, the substrates for the produced composts had a higher residual nutrient content than those for PM, in conjunction with a higher nutrient content (Fig. 4 ). The residual nutrients differed between both seasons. Residual N exhibited high values during the 2018 season, but residual P and K exhibited high values during the 2019 season. The nutrition requirements (mg 100g -1 ) for lettuce seedlings are around 20–60 N (Kratky and Mishima 1981 ; Masson 1991), 0.35–0.50 P (Soundy et al. 2001a ), and 2.4 K (Soundy et al. 2001b ). During both seasons, the seedlings absorbed a negligible amount of NPK nutrients, as demonstrated by their fresh weight (the sum of their shoot and root weights; Fig. 6 C-D) and NPK content for each treatment (Fig. 8 A-C). Although PM had low nutrient content (Fig. 4 ), seedlings were able to absorb a significant proportion of nutrients from the substrate-PM during both growth seasons, specifically N and P (Table S1 ). Despite the high nutrition content of the CC (Fig. 4 ), the proportion of nutrients absorbed by seedlings from their substrate was low in both seasons, particularly for P and K (Table S1 ). Seedlings become less efficient at absorbing nutrients with an increase the substrate’s salinity (Nasri et al. 2015 ) and alkalinity (Kamaluddin and Zwiyazik 2004). The high pH and EC values in the compost substrates, particularly for CC, prevented the growing lettuce seedlings from absorbing nutrients. As a result, the substrates had a high residual nutritional content (Fig. 8 D-F). 3.3.4. Quantity and Quality of lettuce seedlings yield The quantity and quality of lettuce yield were significantly impacted by compost seedlings in a limited way (Fig. 9 ). The average head weight measured as total (HTW) and marketable (HMW) did not differ significantly between compost heads (Fig. 9 A-B), except for HTW for the 2018 season (Fig. 9 A). PM and compost heads (C1-C4) had the highest HTW (433.03-637.58g), while CC heads had the lowest HTW in 2018 (370.27g) (Fig. 9 A). The number of outer (NOHL) and inner (NIHL) head leaves was not significantly different between the compost heads, except for NIHL in the 2018 season (Fig. 9 C-D). The lots NIHL was observed with heads of C2, CP, and C1 (30.25, 28.75, and 27.75), with no significant ( P < 0.05) differences among them in 2018 (Fig. 9 C). The NIHL in CC’s heads (20.65) was the lowest in 2018 (Fig. 9 C). Compost seedlings had significant impacts on head firmness ( P < 0.01) and head stem diameter ( P < 0.001) only during the 2018 season (Fig. 9 E-F). The heads of C2, CP, and C3 had the highest firmness (4.05, 3.58, and 3.40 kg cm − 2 ), with no significant ( P < 0.05) differences among them (Fig. 9 E). However, the heads of CC had the lowest firmness (2.14kg cm − 2 ) in 2018. The heads of PM, C1, C3, and C4 had the thickest stems (3.15, 3.08, 3.08, and 2.93 cm), with no significant ( P < 0.05) differences among them during 2018 (Fig. 9 F). CC heads had the lowest stem dimeter in 2018 (2.43cm). Generally, lettuce heads of substrates for C1-C4 and PM had significantly similar quantities and quality traits. Stated differently, differences between compost seedlings disappear after transplanting. The results of lettuce seedling and yield traits were different for both seasons due to the differences in agro-climate conditions, as shown in Fig. 1 . The 2018 season was cloudier, but the 2019 season saw more rain, relative humidity, and soil moisture in the root zone (Fig. 1 ). Due to the high relative air humidity and decreased cloud cover blocking the active sunlight for photosynthesis (Fig. 1 ), lettuce seedlings in 2019 had higher photosynthetic pigments (Fig. 7 ) and NPK nutrients (Fig. 8 A-C) than in 2018. As a result, the photosynthetic rates increased, as well as the shoot and root weights (Fig. 6 A-B) and leaf area (Fig. 6 F) of the seedlings. It was observed that the head’s weight, number of leaves, and stem diameter breadth all grew in 2019 compared to 2018 (Fig. 9 ). 3.3.5. Multivariate analysis To identify the best substrates for growing lettuce seedlings, the relationships between seedling traits and substrates were evaluated using PCA. Restricting the PCA analysis to seedling traits alone, as most of the significant differences between substrate-specific seedlings disappeared after transplantation. The 12 seedling traits dimensions were reduced by PCA to two PCs (Fig. 10 A), which according to Kaiser’s criteria (eigenvalue ≥ 1) account for 89.57% of the total variance. PC1 accounted for 77.72% of the total variance (Fig. 10 A) and had a positive correlation with SL, LA, SFW, RFW, and t-carot (Fig. 10 B). PC2 had a positive correlation with both chlor-b and t-chlor, which accounts for 11.85% of the total variance. The biplot between the first two PCs displays that compost substrates are separated in all four quarters, which suggests that there is considerable variation among them in their influence on the lettuce seedling traits (Yan and Kang 2003 ). The distribution of C2-C4 substrates within a quarter shows similarity in their effects on seedling traits. Despite being distributed in its independent quadrant, PM was close to C2-C4, which suggests their similarity. The substrates C1 and CC were separated from other substrates in separate quadrants. Substrates of C2-C4 and PM had a high value of SL, SD, SFW, RFW, chlor-a, LA, and N, a moderate value of chlor-b, t-chlor, t-carot, and P (Fig. 10 B). C1-substrate had high levels of chlor-b, t-chlor, t-carot, and P, and moderate levels of SL, SD, SFW, RFW, chlor-a, LA, N and K. CC-substrate had low values of seedling traits (Fig. 10 B). There was relative agreement between the results of the PCA analysis in the composts distribution depending on the compost properties (Fig. 5 ) and the effect of its substrates with vermiculite on the lettuce seedling traits (Fig. 10 ). The findings of this study suggest that lettuce organic seedlings can be produced using composts made by mixing bagasse (C2), cutting grassland (C3), or date palm fronds (C4) with cattle dung into the its substrates with vermiculite. This is despite the fact that these composts have moderate EC and high BD and pH. This supports the results of some previous studies. Ceglie et al. ( 2015 ) found that mixing peat-moss with either green compost or date fiber trunk compost increased the substrate's EC and pH and decreased its BD, while also increasing the stem's length and diameter, leaf area, and fresh weight of the lettuce seedlings. Abid et al. ( 2018 ) found tomato seed germination and root growth were favorably facilitated by compost made from date palm waste. Also, Dhen et al. ( 2018 ) found that lettuce seedlings grown on a compost substrate of date palm waste were equivalent to those grown on a peat substrate in terms of stem length and diameter, leaf area, fresh weights of stem and root, and leaf content of chlorophyll b. Additionally, incorporating 25–50% date-palm compost with commercial peat can improve the performance of lettuce seedlings. Webber et al. ( 2016 ) reported that the growth substrate of pumpkin and melon seedlings was enhanced by substituting 25–75% bagasse compost with peat. Conclusion Mixing agricultural and agro-industrial wastes correctly based on their properties can produce compost with suitable physical, chemical, and biological properties for seed germination and seedling growth. It will take more investigation to improve the C2-C4 compost’s properties by using certain techniques before, during, or after the composting process. Noguera et al. ( 2003 ) found that decreasing waste particle size to 0.125- 2.0 mm increased compost air content and decreased its water holding capacity, EC, and the available macro- and micro-element concentrations. Raja et al. ( 2021 ) produced a compost with peat-like physical and chemical properties when prolonging the decomposing period of date palm fronds to about 30 weeks. Perospe-Ochoa et al. (2012) state that filter mud can acquire peat-like physical properties via washing. Furthermore, a variety of organic waste mixtures must be evaluated to determine the most suitable ones for producing compost with peat-like properties. Further research is also required to investigate the use of C2-C4 composts in seedling substrates of various vegetable crops with variable peat mixing ratios to determine the most successful methods of using them in nurseries. Declarations The data availability statement All the data underlying the results are available as part of the article, and no additional source data are required. Author Contribution Mahmoud, El-Helaly, and Afifi suggested the study’s objectives and the investigation approaches and models.Mohamed conducted the research method and collected the data.Mahmoud and El-Tawshy analyzed the data statistically.Mahmoud and Mohamed prepared a draft, including pre- or post-publication. References Abad M, Noguera P, Burés S (2001) National inventory of organic wastes for use as growing media for ornamental potted plant production: Case study in Spain. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3927758","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":271577409,"identity":"b055ecc7-9043-47d2-b6c9-015e8dce40e5","order_by":0,"name":"Ahmed M.A. Mahmoud","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABB0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCSDmYWCQYWNvgIsZEKWFh43nAKlaGCQSiNTCP7s78cEbBjsePsnHj19XMNglNrA3b5NgqKjFbcmds5sN5zAk87BJp5lZnmFITmzgOVYmwXDmOG5rbuRuk+ZhYAZqSTAzbGA4kNggkWMmwdh2DKcO+Ru523/zMNTzsEke/wbRIv8GqOUfbi0GQFuYeRgO87BJ8Bg/hNjCA9TSUINTi+GN3M2ScwyOAwM5p4yxwSDZuI0nrdgi4dgBnFrkbuRu/PCmolpOvv345o8NFXay/eyHN974UFOH2/sQ54FJNgkQgw3ETGA4TEALBDB/QOIQsmUUjIJRMApGEAAALp5MMJtFZAMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Cairo University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ahmed","middleName":"M.A.","lastName":"Mahmoud","suffix":""},{"id":271577410,"identity":"4015755d-d719-4c16-b7a1-1a88f12fa6f2","order_by":1,"name":"Yahia Mohamed","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yahia","middleName":"","lastName":"Mohamed","suffix":""},{"id":271577411,"identity":"eeb9811a-50e7-4420-9fe7-54335a7ec189","order_by":2,"name":"Mostafa A. El-Helaly","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cairo University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mostafa","middleName":"A.","lastName":"El-Helaly","suffix":""},{"id":271577412,"identity":"263338c8-8d44-4d10-9c97-f9684253eee4","order_by":3,"name":"Mohamed M.I. Afifi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohamed","middleName":"M.I.","lastName":"Afifi","suffix":""},{"id":271577413,"identity":"5c3bcece-5247-429d-80a2-c9cd568ecc8c","order_by":4,"name":"Mohamed K.F. El-Tawashy","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cairo University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohamed","middleName":"K.F.","lastName":"El-Tawashy","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-02-04 13:45:08","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3927758/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3927758/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2024.2378927","type":"published","date":"2024-07-16T14:49:40+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":50889974,"identity":"b8256638-f9ae-4044-88ab-d8305ef4792f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:18","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":125442,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAverage monthly readings of the root zone soil wetness (RZSW: l), relative humidity (RH: %), amount of precipitation (Precip: mm), cloud amount (CA: %), clear sky surface photosynthetically active radiation total (CSSPART: W m\u003csup\u003e-2\u003c/sup\u003e), and minimum (Min-T: °C) and maximum temperature (Max-T: °C) from October to January in the 2018 and 2019 seasons (\u003ca href=\"https://power.larc.nasa.gov/data-access-viewer/\"\u003ehttps://power.larc.nasa.gov/data-access-viewer/\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/9e50e21fbc5205651eb86132.png"},{"id":50889973,"identity":"c53bef76-8861-4b64-b5cc-9ecc936ec6a9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:18","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":40624,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePhysical properties (A: bulk density, B: pH, and C: electrical conductivity) of produced composts (C1-C4), commercial compost (CC), or coconut peat (PM). Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes,and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss.Columns with the same letter represent values that are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Vertical bars represent the ± standard error of the mean (n=4). The ideal ranges for each property were denoted between the two red lines in accordance with Abad et al. (2001) and Noguera et al. (2003)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/11a361e292b5b276a7794163.png"},{"id":50889975,"identity":"c68e44a7-8f59-4e11-b7ef-3eff5c69a803","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:19","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":108097,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePhysiochemical properties (A: dry matter, B: ash, C: organic matter, D: organic Carbone, E: C/N ratio, F: cation exchange capacity) of produced composts (C1-C4), commercial compost (CC), or coconut peat (PM). Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss. Columns with the same letter represent values that are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Vertical bars represent the ± standard error of the mean (n=4). The ideal ranges for each property were denoted between the two red lines in accordance with\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eAbad et al. (2001), and Noguera et al. (2003), Handreck and Black (2010)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/feaf08a721aa419bae51a66b.png"},{"id":50889976,"identity":"5fbeeeb9-969c-4f1c-bedc-ea7596945a7c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:19","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":92523,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eChemical properties (A: ammonia, B: nitrate, C: total nitrogen, D: total phosphor, and E: total potassium) of produced composts (C1-C4), commercial compost (CC), and coconut peat (PM). Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes,and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss. Columns with the same letter represent values that are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Vertical bars represent the ± standard error of the mean (n=4). The ideal ranges for each property were denoted between the two red lines in accordance with Noguera et al. (2003)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/096b699ff818be8a392c9f68.png"},{"id":50889981,"identity":"37cc07bd-91e6-4782-bc7f-8b24aaaa2970","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:19","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":61343,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePrincipal component analysis for fourteen properties of six diffenet composts. Compost properties were BD: bulk density, Mo: moisture, pH, EC: electrical conductivity, DM: dry matter, ash, OM: organic matter, OC: organic carbon, C:N ration, CEC: cation exchange capacity, NH4: ammonium content, NO3: nitrate contetn, TN: total nitrogen, TP: total phoshor, and TK: total potassium. Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/24e53e9ceab788eec96f22b4.png"},{"id":50889979,"identity":"80365a9f-f0f4-48e7-a586-bb3ac8c4a6b2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:19","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":48846,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVegetative traits of seedlings (A: stem length; B: stem diameter; C: vegetative fresh weight; D: root fresh weight; and E: leaf area) grown on several substrates during the 2018 and 2019 winter seasons. Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes,and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss. Data for LA, SL in 2018 season, and SD in 2019 season were transformed by the arcsin equation for statistical analysis. Columns of each season with the same letter represent values that are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Vertical bars represent the ± standard error of the mean (n= 4)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/2ada738860ff9e87466cde58.png"},{"id":50890371,"identity":"92045894-77c2-420a-a6b0-2377cb720d0c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:18:19","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":48977,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLeaf content of chlorophylls (A: chlorophyll A; B: chlorophyll B, and C: total chlorophyll) and total carotenoids (D) of seedlings grown in different substrates during the 2018 and 201\u003cstrong\u003e9 \u003c/strong\u003ewinter seasons. Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes,and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss. Data for chlorophyll A and total carotenoids in 2019 season were transformed by the arcsin equation for statistical analysis. Columns of each season with the same letter represent values that are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Vertical bars represent the ± standard error of the mean (n= 4)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/5df314bb92a06b0467ff97f3.png"},{"id":50889977,"identity":"72707cb9-b95c-48db-826a-0e3a8ea124aa","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:19","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":52213,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eNitrogen (A\u0026amp;B), phosphorous(C\u0026amp;D), and potassium (E\u0026amp;F) contents of mature lettuce seedling and the remaining growing media during the 2018 and 2019 winter seasons. Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss. Data for the growing media residual content of N, P, and K, seedling N content in 2019, seedling P and K contents in 2018 season were transformed by the arcsin equation for statistical analysis. Columns of each season with the same letter represent values that are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Vertical bars represent the ± standard error of the mean (n= 4)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/d1d6c12ded1196e3306ebb04.png"},{"id":50889982,"identity":"21ebe2b1-2873-4287-934c-00d37dad3cb1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:19","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":53533,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLettuce head traits (A: head total weight; B: head marketable weight; C: no.of head outter leaves; D: No. of head inner leaves; E: head firmness; and F: head stem diameter) of plants grew from the produced seedlings on various substrates. Composts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes,and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss. Columns of each season with the same letter represent values that are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Vertical bars represent the ± standard error of the mean (n= 4)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/af51a92cb4d1892110d09304.png"},{"id":50889983,"identity":"a833bc20-ce2a-4ca3-9ebd-afa05028e950","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:02:19","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":55747,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePrincipal component analysis for twleve lettuce seedling traits grown on six diffenet substrates. Seedling traits were stem length (SL), stem diameter (SD), first true leaf area (LA), fresh weights of shoot (FSW) and root (FRW) and the ratio between them (S:R ratio), leaf pigments content (chlorophylls a: chlor-a, b: chlor-b, and total: t-chlor, and total carotenoids), and leaf NPK content. Substrates were a mix between vermiculite and the following composts: C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/79b26f17a1b949c3af8cd7d6.png"},{"id":60421356,"identity":"74fa42d1-ceb6-4e37-acbc-1ebfb30d2b5d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-16 14:49:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1537935,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/f8897b0c-0d0f-4ab2-b6de-afaa1ef31d81.pdf"},{"id":50890370,"identity":"d016e096-d48d-4dba-b881-d50b76a95489","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-09 04:18:19","extension":"docx","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":23969,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryTable.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3927758/v1/d5f0a22d84db7f1ff3f66039.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Potential of Producing Organic Lettuce Seedlings without Peat Using Agricultural and Agro-industrial Compost","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe establishment of commercial vegetable crops is most reliably guaranteed through containerized seedling production, compared to direct sowing, because it produces uniform and high-quality seedlings with efficient resource management (Herrera et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). Seedling quality is greatly influenced by the growing medium. The materials used to prepare growing media in seedling containers must be readily available year-around in one place, chemically stable, homogenous in size, porous, lightweight, and free of weed seeds, insects, pathogens, and harmful chemicals to plants (Barrett et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Gruda \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Peat is the main organic component of the growth substrate for conventional and organic seedling production, thanks to its excellent physical, chemical, and biological properties for plant development (Agarwal et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Peat is formed in wetlands in cold to cold-temperate areas by the natural decomposition of plant wastes. Peat\u0026rsquo;s slow formation process makes it a non-renewable resource. The horticultural sector has been encouraged to look for eco-friendly and low-cost peat alternatives due to the high environmental impact and price increases, and compost has been the most researched option. Many governments encourage using organic waste instead of disposal to create a value-added product that can be used as a peat-substitute (Buschmann et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). In-depth studies have been conducted on using agricultural, industrial, and consumer waste as components of nursery substrates for the past two decades (Barrett et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Gruda \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Due to rapid urbanization and population growth, effective waste management is a major challenge in most Arab countries, including Egypt. In Egypt, about 71.5\u0026nbsp;million tons of agricultural wastes are produced annually, including 39.5\u0026nbsp;million tons plant residues and 31.5\u0026nbsp;million tons animal waste. Approximately 18% of agricultural waste is used as organic fertilizer, 30% is fed to animals, and 52% is not properly disposed of, which poses a threat to the environment and ecosystem (Zaki et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR79\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompost is a satisfactory alternative to peat (Abad et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e; Butamante et al. 2008; D\u0026iacute;az-P\u0026eacute;rez and Camacho-Ferre \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; S\u0026aacute;nchez-Monedero et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). Compost aids in improving the substrate\u0026rsquo;s biological, chemical, and physical properties, which encourages plant growth. Beneficial microorganisms in composts can promote plant nutrient availability and inhibit the growth of pathogenic organisms (Ceglie et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Ribeiro et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e) found that compost made from forestry wastes and solid phase was a better alternative to peat. Compost increased the pH of substrate to 6.9 from 6.3 in peat substrate without affecting the substrate\u0026rsquo;s electrical conductivity (0.26 and 0.27 ms cm\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e, respectively). Carmona et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) found that the physical properties of compost prepared from dealcoholized grapevine marc and grape stem (GM) have some limitations for use as a growing medium in the production of plug seedlings (total available water content of 12.7% in GM and 25.9% in peat), but this can be avoided by blending with other substrates and managing irrigation. Therefore, with proper watering and fertilization management, GM and GM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;peat blending may be used successfully as a medium component for plug production of vegetable seedlings. Compost has several problems that render it unsuitable as a full replacement for peat as growth media for vegetable seedlings. These problems include high electrical conductivity (EC) and pH, and physical properties caused by low aeration or scarce water holding capacity (Bayoumi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Bustamante et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Ribeiro et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; S\u0026aacute;nchez Monedero et al. 2004). These problems were frequently associated with the materials used and the quantities in the mixtures. Therefore, peat and compost gave been found to have a beneficial synergy in substrates, with peat improving aeration and water retention and compost improving the substrate\u0026rsquo;s nutrition (Bayoumi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Bustamante et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Ceglie et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Mahmoud et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCocopeat, a byproduct of the coconut industry, has been used commercially as a renewable alternative to peatmoss (Yau and Murphy \u003cspan citationid=\"CR77\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e). Cocopeat has similar physical properties to peat (Meena et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). The cocopeat industry is exclusive to America, tropical Africa, and Asia (Barrett et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Date-palm fronds, which is part of the coconut family, has a strong resemblance to the fiber of coconut fruit hull (Ghehsareh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Egypt has approximately 15\u0026nbsp;million planted palms, and it is increasing annually. Approximately 10\u0026ndash;20 date palm fronds are pruned each year (El-Sharabasy and Rizk \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Eldeeb (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) states that 90% of the pruned fronds are burned and 10% are utilized as cages (Eldeeb \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Using date-palm frond compost as seedling substrate has been limited (Raja et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Abid et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Dhen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Raja et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) found that date-palm waste that decomposes over 30 weeks has better physio-chemical properties than peat and can be completely replaced in horticulture. The palm fiber compost was determined by Ceglie et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) to have appropriate properties for seedling production. Seedling responses from tomato, melon, and lettuce were best in the substrate mixture of 20% green compost, 39% palm fiber, and 31% peat. Abid et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) found that date palm waste compost had a low C:N ratio of 17, high nutrient contents (N, P, and K), and the ability to create a favorable environment for tomato seed germination and root development. Dhen et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) demonstrated that adding 25\u0026ndash;50% of date-palm compost to commercial peat could have an impact on the substrate properties and improve lettuce seedling performance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe sugarcane industry\u0026rsquo;s enormous organic waste is a serious environmental burden in the areas where it is located. Bagasse, a by-product of the sugarcane industry, is produced during the extraction of sugarcane juice. About 6.5% of the sugarcane is composed of this dry, fibrous pulp. Bagasse\u0026rsquo;s use for animals and boilers is limited to about 50%, while the rest is burned or thrown, and requires more attention to be recycled (Zaki et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR79\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). According to Webber et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR74\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), the growing media of pumpkin and melon seedlings were improved by replacing peat with 25\u0026ndash;75% bagasse compost. Filter mud from the sugarcane industry is also a common waste that accumulates and pollutes around sugar mills, resulting in storage issues (Abdel-Galeil et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Filter mud, which contains a significant amount of sugar, moisture, and harmful bacteria, accounts for about 3% all sugarcane (Abdel-Galeil et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). The simple decomposition makes it ideal for producing compost after aerobic fermentation. Filter mud is a significant source of organic manure, acts as a substitute for plant nutrients, and improves soil (Abdel-Galeil et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Berrospe-Ochoa et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) found that dried or washed filter mud compost had peat-like physical properties and improved tomato seedling growth.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe cultivation and production of mushrooms leaves a sizeable amount of partially decomposed waste (5kg waste 1kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e mushroom) (Semple et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). The world\u0026rsquo;s mushroom production has increased by over six times, from 1.6\u0026nbsp;million tons in 1980 to over 10.44.21\u0026nbsp;million tons in 2021 (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttp://faostat.fao.org\u0026gt;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"http://faostat.fao.org%3E\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e). In mushroom-producing countries, the handling and disposal of spent mushroom wastes is still a significant environmental problem. According to Marques et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e), up to 75% of mushroom compost used as a peat-substrate was the most suitable substrate for the growth and development of lettuce seedlings, resulting in an improved marketable yield.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGarden waste, especially grass cutting waste, represents about 1.14\u0026nbsp;million ton per year in Egypt (Abou Hussein and Sawan \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Grass is not a suitable compost feedstock because it tends to become anaerobic and produce strong and noxious odors. Furthermore, the grass has varying levels of nitrogen and organic matter. The chemical changes that occur during the composting of different herb-leaf mixtures are not well-known (Michel et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1993\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe goal of this study was to create composts as peat substitutes with the proper physical, chemical, and biological properties for the production of organic seedlings. Composts were made from various agricultural and agro-industrial wastes due to their properties. In contrast to peat and commercial compost, compost\u0026rsquo;s properties and impact on the growth and development of organic lettuce seedlings were evaluated.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1. Composts Production\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1.1. Organic waste\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow-value agricultural and agro-industrial wastes were used in this study to produce compost. The waste consisted of date-palm fronds (Kornef), grasslands cutting, mushroom production waste, filter mud, and bagasse, as well as cattle dung. Agricultural wastes were collected from the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES), Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. The date-palm frond waste was ground to 3-5cm pieces. Mushroom waste was retrieved from Mushroom Research Department, Central Climate Laboratory, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt. These wastes were collected during the winter and summer of 2017, naturally-dried, and stored in ventilated, dry, and isolated areas from the pests. The sugar-cone factory in Abu Quarqas, Minya, Egypt provided agro-industrial wastes, bagasse and filter mud. One to three days before composting, cattle dung and agro-industrial waste was collected to used wet. The contents of the waste\u0026rsquo;s moisture, dry matter, organic matter, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and C/N ratio was estimated as shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, to help decide how it should be combined.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe used waste properties.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWaste\u003csup\u003ez\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoisture\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDry matter\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrganic matter\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrganic carbon\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal nitrogen\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC/N ratio\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBagasse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e135.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCattle Dung\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67.51\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.49\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60.84\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDate-palm leaf bases\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.22\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFilter Mud\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e71.99\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.77\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.43\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrasslands cutting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMushroom production\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75.30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.37\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003csup\u003ez\u003c/sup\u003eThe waste sources were as follows: date-palm leaf base, grasslands cutting, and cattle dung from Agricultural Experiment Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt (30\u0026deg;01'35.9\"N 31\u0026deg;11'36.9\"E); mushroom production waste from Mushroom Research Department, Central Climate Laboratory, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt; and bagasse and filter-mud from Sugar Factory, Abu Qurqas, Minya, Egypt.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1.2. Composting procedures\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFollowing estimates of the waste\u0026rsquo;s properties, four compost piles were constructed as follows: C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production waste, and date-palm fronds wastes; while C2-C4 were a mixture of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung at a weight ratio of 0.5:1. Initially, the pile\u0026rsquo;s physical and chemical properties were estimated to determine their suitability for the decomposition process, as shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. Wastes were composted in a trial facility at the Agricultural Experimental Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt during the 2017 summer (June to September). The waste mixtures were piled in trapezoidal piles that were 1.0m height with a 1.25\u0026times;2m base. The piles were arranged using a completely randomized design (RCBD) with four replications. The moisture content of piles was adjusted to 50\u0026ndash;60% of their water holding capacity. The piles were flipped inside out upside down once weekly until the compost matured (Afifi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). The composting process lasted for up to four months. The compost\u0026rsquo;s maturity and suitability as a seedling substrate were assessed by estimating its physical, chemical, and biological properties and comparing them to peatmoss (PM) and the best suitable local commercial compost for seedling growth (CC).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompost physical and chemical properties before the composting process.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProperty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompost\u003csup\u003ez\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIdeal range\u003csup\u003ey\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBulk density\u0026nbsp;(kg m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;3\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e473\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e477\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;18.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e264\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;34.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e457\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoisture (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40\u0026ndash;60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDry matter (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epH (1:10)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.0\u0026ndash;8.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.79\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEC (dS m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrganic matter (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrganic carbon (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.85\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAsh (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55.42\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46.47\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e181\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e287\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e242\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e287\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal nitrogen (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal phosphor (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal potassium (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.37\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC/N ratio\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u0026ndash;35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003e\u003csup\u003ez\u003c/sup\u003eComposts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; and C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003e\u003csup\u003ey\u003c/sup\u003eThe ideal ranges for decomposition process were identified by Day and Shaw (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3.3. Compost\u0026rsquo;s physical and chemical properties\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe described methods in the \u0026ldquo;Methods of Soil Analysis\u0026rdquo; book series were used to estimate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of composts. The bulk density (BD) was estimated using the core method in accordance Blake and Hartge (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1986\u003c/span\u003e). Electrical conductivity (EC) and pH of compost-water extract (1:10 volume) was measured using an EC meter (ICM model 71150, Hillsboro, USA) and a pH meter (Orion Expandable Ion Analyzer EA920, Boston, USA). The moisture and dry matter (DM) contents were estimated as percentages of fresh weight after drying the compost samples at 105\u0026deg;C for three days (Page et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1982\u003c/span\u003e). The cation exchange capacity (CEC) was determined by elution with 1 M sodium acetate at pH\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;7 according to Sumner and Miller (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e). Ash content was determined by manual combustion in a muffle furnace at 650\u0026deg;C for 24 h. The organic matter (OM) content was estimated by glowing the dried samples at 550\u0026ordm;C to a constant weight, as advised by Nelson and Sommers (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e). The organic carbon (OC) content was calculated by multiplying the OM% by 58% (Nelson and Sommers \u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal nitrogen (TN) was estimated by Kjeldahl digestion (Bremner \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e). The estimate of soluble nitrogen NH\u003csup\u003e+\u0026thinsp;4\u003c/sup\u003e and NO\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;3\u003c/sup\u003e in 1N KCl was as described by Mulvaney (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e). The total phosphor (TP) was estimated in the acidic solution of the digested compost using ascorbic acid as a reluctant as described by Kuo (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e). The total potassium (TK) content of digested compost solutions was determined using flame photometry (Helmke and Sparks \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3.4. Compost\u0026rsquo;s biological properties\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe compost\u0026rsquo;s bio-properties included counts of total coliform, fecal coliform, salmonella and shigella, and weed seeds. The total and fecal coliform, salmonella, and Shigella were counted as per Turco (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR71\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe compost\u0026rsquo;s phytotoxic evaluation was performed using a lettuce seed germination test as described by Priac et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Lettuce seeds are used for germination and phytotoxicity tests due to their specific properties, such as rapid growth and germination, and high sensitivity to toxic substances (Banks and Chultz 2005). The compost sample was soaked in distilled water (1: 10 ratio; w:v) for two hours on a horizontal shaker at 150 rpm. The soaked solution was filtered to use the filtrate for the germination test. Filtration paper was used to cover the bottom of Petri dishes (11cm diameter and 15-20mm depth). The paper was moistened with 5 ml of aqueous extract. Fifty plump undamaged lettuce seeds of almost identical size were evenly placed on the filter paper. Five Petri dishes were prepared for every testing compost. Five Petri dishes were used for a control test with distilled water. The Petri dishes were sealed with parafilm and placed in an incubator at 28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2\u0026deg;C and in darkness. A seed was considered germinated when the radicle reached a length of more than 2 mm. After 7 days, germinated seeds were counted to estimate the germination percentage [GP= (No. of germinated seeds/Total No. of seeds)/100] and the germination rate (GR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;No. of germinated seeds in the sample/No. of germinated seeds in the control).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2. Lettuce Production\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrisp lettuce cultivar \u0026lsquo;Big Ball\u0026rsquo; seeds were sown on substrate of one of the produced composts (C1-C4), CC, or PM to assess its suitability as a peat substitute. The evaluation of seedling growth and development were conducted during the 2018 and 2019 winter seasons. Lettuce seeds were sown on 1st October of both seasons in Styrofoam trays (65 \u0026times; 38 \u0026times; 8.3 cm and 209 conical cells) under plastic house conditions at a private nursery in Al Mansouryah, Imbaba, Giza Governate, Egypt (30\u0026deg;07\u0026rsquo;34.0\u0026rdquo;N 31\u0026deg;05\u0026rsquo;09.9\u0026rdquo;E). The essential substrate for sowing lettuce seeds was a mixture of PM and vermiculate (1:1 by volume). The produced composts (C1-C4) or CC were used place of PM in another substrate. A RCBD with four replicates was used for the experiment, resulting in 24 experimental units (EU) from six growing media. Each EU had a tray. Large quantities of substrate mixtures were mixed and moistened. The trays were subsequently filled, and seeds were sown in trays at a rate of one seed/cell. Transplants grew for 5 weeks without any fertilization.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeedling quality has an effect on tolerance to transplanting stress, and the quantity and quality of yield (Kratky and Mishima \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1981\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, five-week-old lettuce seedlings were field transplanted at a private farm in Al Mansouryah (30\u0026deg;05'51.2\"N 31\u0026deg;07'20.6\"E) during both seasons. Before planting, the soil\u0026rsquo;s properties and element content were estimated (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Seedlings were arranged using a RCBD with four replicates. Each EU had two rows. Each row was 0.6\u0026times;3.0 m. Plants were set 30 cm apart and subjected to common agricultural practices without using chemical fertilizers. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the climate during seedling production and growing periods.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysicochemical properties of soils before experiment in 2018 and 2019 seasons.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProperty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2018 season\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2019 season\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClay (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSand (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSilt (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epH (1:10 H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eElectrical conductivity (dS m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0. 37\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrganic carbon (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.82\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0. 92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrganic nitrogen (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC/N ratio\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6. 58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvailable Phosphor (mg kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e68.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExchangeable Potassium (cmol kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. 57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExchangeable Calcium (cmol kg\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.32\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2.1. Lettuce seedling growth parameters\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTen five-week-old seedlings/EU were selected randomly from the middle of the tray and collected. Estimates were performed for seedling stem length (SL; from the soil surface to the top of the seedling), diameter (SD; at the soil surface), first true leaf area (LA), fresh weights of shoot (FSW) and root (FRW) and the ratio between them (S:R ratio), leaf photosynthesis pigments content, and NPK content, as well as the residual NPK in growing media. The leaf weighting method described by Pandey and Singh (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) was used to estimate the LA.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHalf-gram of fresh lettuce leaves was ground in 5ml of dimethylformamide to extract photosynthesis pigments. Pigments were determined using the spectrophotometer at 664, 647, and 480 nm (Moran \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1982\u003c/span\u003e). Chlorophylls and carotenoids were computed by the following equations: Chlorophyll A (Chlor-A)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;11.65A\u003csub\u003e664\u003c/sub\u003e \u0026ndash; 2.69A\u003csub\u003e647\u003c/sub\u003e, Chlorophyll B (Chlor-A)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;20.81A\u003csub\u003e647\u003c/sub\u003e \u0026ndash; 4.53A\u003csub\u003e664\u003c/sub\u003e, and Total Carotenoids (T-Carot) = (1000A\u003csub\u003e480\u003c/sub\u003e \u0026ndash; 1.42Ca \u0026ndash; 46.09Cb)/202.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe total concentrations of N, P, and K were estimated in the dried seedlings. The TN was analyzed using a kjeldahl digestion apparatus, as stated by Schaffer and Sprecher (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1957\u003c/span\u003e). To analyze TP and TK, a 9:4:1 mixture of HNO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e:H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eSO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e: HClO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e was used in a wet digestion procedure. The TP was estimated using the phosphomolybdate method (Jackson 1976). The yellow color was formed at 420 nm using a spectrophotometer, and the P content from the standard curve was computed. TK estimation was performed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer at 766.5 nm wavelength (Brown and Lilliland 1946). TK content is represented by the absorbance concentration in the sample solution. The estimation of N, P, and K residuals in seedling substrates was based on the described methods of Bremner (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e), Kuo (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e), and Helmke and Sparks (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e), respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2.2. Quantity and Quality of lettuce yield\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe following traits were estimated 75 days after transplanting (DAT) on 10 mature heads/EU, randomly selected and harvested: head weight (HW), marketable head weight (MHW), number of inner (consumable; NHIL) and outer (non-consumable; NHOL) leaves of the head, head firmness (HF; an indicator of the fusion of leaves, measured using a food pressure tester, Force Gauge Model M4-200), and head stem diameter (HSD).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3. Statistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality of the data collected for composts, seedlings, and plants. The Arcsine square root equation was used to transform non-normally distributed data (Wickens and Keppel \u003cspan citationid=\"CR75\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). ANOVA of the RCBD was performed, according to Wickens and Keppel (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR75\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). The Duncan\u0026rsquo;s multiple range test at a 5% probability level was used to compare means (Wickens and Keppel \u003cspan citationid=\"CR75\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). MSTATc v.2.1 (Michigan State University, Michigan, USA) was used for the ANOVA and mean comparisons.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrincipal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate peat substitutes, identify compost properties that contributed the most to the observed variance among composts, and select the best peat-substitute. Significant components were identified using parallel analysis and the latent root criteria (eigenvalue\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1) in statistics (Johnson and Wichern \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1988\u003c/span\u003e). The first two PCs formed a biplot that accurately represented a large portion of the total variance. The biplot was used to evaluate the correlations between PCs and variables and inter-variables (Rencher \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Yan and Kang (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e) stated that the correlation coefficient between two traits can be calculated by estimating the cosine of the angle between vectors. If the angle is exactly 90\u0026deg;, vectors are independent, positively correlated if it is \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;90\u0026deg;, and negatively correlated if it is \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;90\u0026deg;. PCA was conducted using IBM SPSS software version 26.0.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) and XLSTAT software version 2019 (Addinsoft, Paris, France).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results and discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1. Wastes analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevious studies demonstrated the potential of using composts made from waste of date palm fronds (Abid et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Ceglie et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Dhen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Raja et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), mushroom cultivation (Marques et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e), filter mud (Abdel-Galeil et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Berrospe-Ochoa et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), and bagasse (Webber et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR74\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) as peat substitutes. These wastes were selected in this study mainly because of their low value in the industrial conversion process and their widespread availability (Abdel-Galeil et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Abou Hussein and Sawan \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e; Eldeeb \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Zaki et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR79\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), which imposes a significant burden on the environment. However, there are a few reasons why compost cannot replace peat completely. The idea behind this study was to produce compost by combining agricultural and agro-industrial wastes, which could improve the compost\u0026rsquo;s properties and bring it closer to peat\u0026rsquo;s properties, which are ideal for seedling growth.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe optimal conditions for composting are temperatures between 55\u0026ndash;60\u0026deg;C (during the thermophilic stage), moisture levels between 40\u0026ndash;60%, a pH range of 5.0\u0026ndash;8.0, and an initial C/N ratio of 25\u0026ndash;35 (Day and Shaw \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). The wastes were analyzed to determine its properties and suitability for decomposition. The waste\u0026rsquo;s properties are displayed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The waste contained varying levels of moisture, dry matter, organic matter, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and C/N ratio. The dry matter content was between 32% with cattle dung and 97% with bagasse (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The wastes had a low moisture content (4\u0026ndash;28%; Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e), making them unsuitable for composting, except for cattle dung (67%). The waste had a C/N ratio of 9.5 in filter mud to 136.3 in bagasse (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e), but none of it met the required ratio for decomposition. The presence of high C/N ratios in bagasse, date palm Kornefs, and grass indicates that there is insufficient nitrogen for the optimal growth of the native compost microflora. Therefore, the decomposition of organic matter is significantly slowed down, and the temperature of compost piles is lowered, which prevents the disposal of seeds, plant and human pathogens, resulting in improperly stabilized compost (Day and Shaw \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). Low C/N ratios (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;25) in cattle dung and filter mud indicates an excess of nitrogen, which speeds up the decomposition process, increases the compost pile\u0026rsquo;s temperature, produces ash, and losses nitrogen as ammonia (Day and Shaw \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). The waste was mixed with filter mud or cattle dung in any mix to achieve the appropriate range of waste properties for the decomposition process. Four Piles were created and their physical and chemical properties were analyzed. All piles had higher levels of BD (except for C2), pH, NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, N, P, and K and lower levels of OM and C/N ratio, as shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2. The compost\u0026rsquo;s properties\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe compost\u0026rsquo;s physical, chemical, and biological properties after 4 months of composting were estimated and compared using CC, PM, and the ideal range (IR) for seed germination and seedling growth identified by Abad et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e), Noguera et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e), and Handreck and Black (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e) to determine its maturity and suitability as a peat substitute.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.1. Physical properties\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the physical properties of composts. The BD (kg m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;3\u003c/sup\u003e) of composts varied between 221.75 in PM to 717.13 in C2 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eA) with significant differences between them (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). The BD of composts C1-C4 was higher (547.6, 717.1, 610.8, and 594.4, respectively) than that of CC (541.4) and PM (221.8). According to Abad et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e) and Noguera et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e), the BD of all composts, except PM, was higher than the IR (400kg m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;3\u003c/sup\u003e). The pH of composts (7.0-7.5) exceeded that of PM (3.4) with significant differences (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) between them (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eB). PM was commonly thought of as acidic, while CC and C2 were neutral (6.9 and 7.0, respectively), while C1, C4, and C3 tend to be alkaline (7.5, 7.2, and 7.1, respectively). Substrate-pH can affect the biological functions of seedlings, such as water uptake by roots, transpiration, photosynthesis, CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e assimilation, etc. (Kamaluddin and Zwiazek, 2004). IR-pH (5.0-5.7) did not applicable to any composts, including PM as per Abad et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e) and Noguera et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). The highest EC (dS m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) was achieved by CC (4.55), followed by C1 (3.11), C3 (2.11), C2 (1.93), and C4 (1.52), with significant differences (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) between them (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eC). PM had the lowest EC (1.11). EC is an indicator of the concentration of soluble salts (Visconti and de Paz \u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). A high EC has a negative impact on germination, photosynthesis, and plant vigor (Handreck and Black \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Conversely, a low EC value indicates a lack of available salts. According to Abad et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e), all composts had ECs that exceeded the IR (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.5 dS m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eC). However, according to Noguera et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e), PM, C2, and C4 exhibited ECs within the IR (0.75\u0026ndash;1.99 dS m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eC).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCattle manure reduced the pH, BD, and EC of the produced composts C2-C4, compared to C1, which contained filter mud (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). This is more noticeable in C4, where date palm frond waste is mixed with cattle dung, as opposed to C1, where it is mixed with filter mud and mushroom production waste. Despite having the same amount of cattle dung, the composts for the wastes cutting grassland (C3) and bagasse (C2) had lower pH, BD, and EC than those of the date palm waste compost (C4).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.2. Chemical properties\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSignificant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) differences in DM% were found among composts (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA). The DM% of the produced composts was lower, with a range of 20.5 to 35.1%, compared to CC (65.50%) and PM (43.25%) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eA). Ash was estimated to indicate the mineral content of the compost, particularly micro nutrients. The produced composts had a higher ash percentage (69.01\u0026ndash;78.44%) compared to PM and CC (11.98% and 3.46%, respectively), with significant differences among them (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eB).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe patterns for both OM% and OC% were similar (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eC\u0026amp;D). The produced composts had lower OM%\u0026amp;OC% (21.8\u0026ndash;31.4% and 12.6\u0026ndash;18.1%, respectively) than those in PM (96.8 and 56.1%, respectively) and CC (88.2 and 51.2%, respectively), with significant differences among them (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eC\u0026amp;D). The OM% of all composts, except CC and PM, was lower than the IR (80\u0026ndash;100%) (Abad et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e; Noguera et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe highest C/N ratio was for PM (42.77), followed by CC, C3, C1, C2, and C4 was the highest (27.04, 14.61, 14.58, 13.97, and 12.17, respectively), with significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) differences among them (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eE). According to Abad et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e) and Noguera et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e), PM and CC only exhibit the C:N ratio within the IR (20\u0026ndash;40).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe CEC-substrate is used to measure the capacity to adsorb and exchange cations at a specific pH (Ugochukwu \u003cspan citationid=\"CR72\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Two advantages of high CEC growing substrates are their ability to store more nutrients and release them to the plant, as well as their ability to withstand pH changes more effectively (Handreck and Black \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). The CEC (meq L\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) varied from 56.0 in C4 to 99.2 in PM with significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) differences among them (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eF). PM had the highest CEC (99.2), followed by C2 (64.6), C3 (57.4), CC (60.4), C1 (56.7), and C4 (56.0), in that order. According to Handreck and Black (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e), a growing substrate with a CEC of 50\u0026ndash;200 meq L\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e is the ideal choice. The CEC for all evaluated composts was within the IR.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe seedling\u0026rsquo;s ability to grow and develop well is determined by the nutrients in the substrate. The TN, TP, and TK contents of the compost were estimated. Significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) differences were found in the content of these nutrients between the composts, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e. Composts had higher levels of P (0.20% in CC to 0.46% in C4; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eD) and K (0.46% in CC to 0.81% in C2; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eE), and C4 had higher N levels (1.90%; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eC) than PM (0.03, 0.01, and 1.32%, respectively). All composts, except for PM for K level alone, had higher P and K contents than the IRs (Noguera et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigher plants absorb nitrogen from the substrate in the form of ammonium (NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e) and nitrate (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e). The majority of plants prefer to use NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e as a nitrogen source (Britto and Kronzucker \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). High NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e levels can hinder seed germination and seedling development (Wichuk and McCartney 2010). The N content of NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e was significantly (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) different (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eA\u0026amp;B). As the compost matures, the contents of NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e and NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e decline. Microorganisms oxidized NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e to NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and caused a rise in NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e levels (Chukwujindu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). In general, the compost (C1-C4) had a higher level of NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (195.5-301.5 ppm) than NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (55.3\u0026ndash;90.3 ppm; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eA\u0026amp;B). CC and PM had a higher NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e concentration (58.4 and 200.5 ppm, respectively) than NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (10.1 and 5.1 ppm, respectively). The NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e concentration in all composts was higher than IR (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1 ppm; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eA) (Noguera et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). The NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e content in C4 was only within the IR (100\u0026ndash;200 ppm), whereas it was higher in C1-C3 and lower in CC and PM (Noguera et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). The compost's inorganic nitrogen (N-NH4 and N-NO3) content was extremely low compared to its TN level. The proportion of compost's inorganic nitrogen ranged from 0.84% with CC to 3.36% with C1. This could be because of its high compost's microbial content combined with its high organic nitrogen content, which includes hydrolysis nitrogen, amino acid nitrogen, amino sugar nitrogen, ammonia organic nitrogen, and unhydrolysable nitrogen (Yu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR78\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCattle manure enhanced OM, OC, TN, TK, and NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e levels, and reduced ash levels of the created composts C2-C4 compared to C1, which contained filter mud. This is more evident in C4 (cattle dung and date palm frond waste) than in C1 (filter mud and waste of mushroom production and date palm fronds). Ash and NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and C/N levels were higher in composts C3 (cattle dung and cutting grassland waste) and C2 (cattle dung and bagasse), while OM, OC, TN, and TP levels were higher in C4, despite the presence of the same amount of cattle dung in each.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.3. Biological properties\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe evaluation of compost\u0026rsquo;s biological properties is often carried by detecting markers such as coliform bacteria and weed seeds, as well as estimating the germination percentage (Turco, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR71\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e). The results of the biological count for composts are displayed in Table \u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e. The absence of bacteria and seeds in the produced composts (C1-C4), CC, and PM indicates that the composting and maturing processes were successful.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiological properties of composts during composting process.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompost\u003csup\u003ez\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal coliform\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFecal coliform\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSalmonella \u0026amp; shigella\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeed weed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGermination percentage\u003csup\u003ey\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGermination rate\u003csup\u003ey\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ea\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04 a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e84.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ea\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01 a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04 a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ea\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05 a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e71.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eb\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03 b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eND\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ea\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03 a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"8\"\u003e\u003csup\u003ez\u003c/sup\u003eComposts were C1: a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio of filter mud, mushroom production wastes, and date-palm fronds wastes; C2-C4: a 0.5:1 weight ratio of either bagasse, cutting grasslands, or date-palm fronds wastes, and cattle dung; CC: commercial compost; and PM: peatmoss.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"8\"\u003e\u003csup\u003ey\u003c/sup\u003eMean value\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard error (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4). germination percentage data were transformed by the arcsin equation for statistical analysis. Means followed by a letter in common were not significantly different at the 5% level according to Duncan\u0026rsquo;s multiple range test.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"8\"\u003eND: No data.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe percentage and germination rate of local lettuce seeds in the aqueous compost extract showed significant differences (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) among them (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). The aqueous extract of the produced compost (C1-C4) and PM had high germination percentages (80.5, 84.5, 78.0, 80.5, and 82.0%, respectively), with no significant differences (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) between them. This also coincided with a significantly high germination rate, ranging from 0.95 with C3 to 1.03 with C2. The lowest germination percentage was recorded with the aqueous extract of CC (71.5%), coinciding with the lowest rate of 0.87 (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). The lower germination rate with CC is due to its high salinity and alkalinity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.4. Multivariate analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003ePCA were used to assess the relationships among properties and composts that are most affecting for those properties. PCA reduced the dimension of the 14 properties to two PCs (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eA), which accounted for 93.94% of the total variance based on the Kaiser\u0026rsquo;s criteria (eigenvalue\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;1) (Johnson and Wichern \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1988\u003c/span\u003e). Yan and Kang (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e) suggest that higher eigenvalues are the most effective way to describe properties among the main components because they account for at least 10% variation. The estimated properties had a significant impact on the first two PCs. PC1 represented 72.2% of the total variation (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eA) and was positive for BD, pH, ash, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, TP, and TK, while being negative for OM, OC, C: N, CEC, and NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB). PC2 was positively correlated with EC, DM, and TN, accounting for 21.8% of the total variation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe biplot presents vectors that represent compost properties and shows their correlation among them, as stated by Yang and Kang (2003). The vectors on the sides have a slight correlation. The properties of parallel vectors that are going in the same direction have a strong positive correlation. Opposite vectors have a strong negative correlation in their properties. Therefore, each of the properties in the following property groups shows strong positive correlations: Group I consisted of EC, pH, BD, TK, and TP; Group II consisted of C/N, CEC, and NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e; Group III consisted of DM, OM, OC, and TN; and Group IV consisted of TP, ASH, TK, and NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB). The properties of Groups I and II, as well as the properties of Groups III and IV, showed strong negative correlations. Understanding the composting process thoroughly can aid in gaining a better understanding of the correlation between the different compost properties. Organic wastes are broken down by the decomposed bacteria to obtain organic carbon and nitrogen. As a result, the waste\u0026rsquo;s surface area increases, leading to an increase in BD while decreasing OM, OC, TN, and C/N (Day and Shaw \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e; Abdel Galeil et al. 2018). The maturation process of compost results in an increase in NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e levels and a decrease in NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e levels because the nitrification process oxidizes NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e to NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (Chukwujindu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Additionally, more humic compounds are produced and accumulated, which chelate macro- and micronutrients. Thus, as the compost matures, EC, CEC, TP, and TK grow (Abdel Galeil et al. 2018). Comparing established composts (C1\u0026ndash;C4) before (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) and after composting (Figs.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e) illustrates these evident correlations. Following four months of composting, there was a decrease in the compost\u0026rsquo;s contents of OM (37.10% with C2 to 46.8% with C3), OC (37.3% with C2 to 46.5% with C3), TN (50.2% with C4 to 59.4% with C3), NH4 (68.5% with C2 to 70.2% with C4), and TP (52.17% with C2 to 58.2% with C4). A rise was found in the compost\u0026rsquo;s properties: BD (15.8% with C1 to 131.4% with C3), C/N ratio (18.5% with C4 to 40.0% with C2), NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e (1210.9% with C2 to 1677.3% with C4), and TK (118.9% with C2 to 147.8% with C3). All composts had an increase in EC, except for C3, which saw a 1.86% decrease. The C/N ratio unexpectedly increased by 18.5% with C4 to 40.0% with C2. Furthermore, the TP content of the compost decreased by 52.2% with C2 to 58.2% with C4. The reduction of TP may be attributed to organic phosphorus mineralization and bacteria\u0026rsquo;s consumption (Kalamdhad and Kazmi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe biplot shows that composts are separated in all four quarters (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB), which suggests that there is considerable variation among them (Yan and Kang \u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). The distribution of composts C1-C3 within the same quarter is likely to result in minimal differences. C4\u0026rsquo;s distribution near C1-C3 despite being in an independent quadrant shows their similarity. PM and CC are distinct from composts C1-C4 in their distribution in independent quadrants (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB). The choice of CC as a control in this study was based on its reliability as a commercial compost available locally and its use by many commercial nurseries. CC showed a reduced level of NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, a moderate level of BD, pH, Ash, OM, OC, C: N, CEC, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, TP, and TK, and an elevated level of EC, DM, and TN (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB). The high salt content of CC prevents it from being a good substrate choice for seedlings. The produced composts C1-C4 had a low level of DM, OM, OC, C/N, CEC, and TN, a moderate level of EC and NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, and a high level of BD, pH, Ash, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, TP, and TK (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB). However, PM had low levels of BD, pH, EC, Ash, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, TP, and TK; moderate levels of DM and TN; and high levels of OM, OC, C/N, CEC, and NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eB). The results from previous studies were consistent. Raja et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) found that date palm frond compost had low levels of OM and OC, and high levels of BD, pH, CEC, TN, TP, and TK than PM. Dhen et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) found that date palm waste compost, despite having a lower BD value than PM, has higher pH and EC values. Abdel-Galeil et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) discovered that composts derived from filter mud or mushroom waste had higher pH, EC, NH4, NO3, ash, TP, and TK, and lower OC, OM, and C/N compared to PM. The BD of mushroom waste compost was inferior to that of PM. According to Berrospe-Ochoa et al. (2010), the compost made from filter mud and cattle manure had less OM and C/N, and more BD, pH, EC, TN, TP, and TK compared to PM.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompost's properties make it partially unsuitable for seedling substrate use. According to Paradelo et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), the compost\u0026rsquo;s low OM content hinders seed germination, extending the germination period and delaying the seedling growth. Low C/N ratios in compost indicate an excess of nitrogen, particularly NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eA), which hinders seed germination and seedling growth (Wichuk and McCartney 2010). The compost\u0026rsquo;s high BD inhibits seedling root development and inflation, as well as substrate aeration, reducing the availability of oxygen required for the roots to absorb water and nutrients (Dhen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Jayasinghe 2011). The alkaline compost impacts the availability of nutrients for root uptake (Jayasinghe 2011; Kamaluddin and Zwiazek 2004). The compost\u0026rsquo;s high EC reduces seed germination, root elongation, and the amount of nutrients absorbed (Nasri et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). According to D\u0026iacute;az-P\u0026eacute;rez and Camacho-Ferre (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e), the compost\u0026rsquo;s high pH and EC reduced seed germination and affected seedling height, diameter, and height/diameter ratios.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3. Lettuce seedlings growth and productivity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3.1. Seedling vegetative growth\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo produce strong seedlings, consideration must be given to the diameter and length of the seedling stem, the fresh weights of the root and shoot, and the leaf area (Dhen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e display the results of the vegetative traits of lettuce seedlings grown on substrates for the produced composts, compared to those for PM and CC. The SL of the seedlings grown on different substrates ranged from 8.38cm on CC to 10.75cm on C2 in the 2018 season, and from 10.75cm on CC to 17.25cm on C3 in the 2019 season, with significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) differences among them in both seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eA). Substrate-C3 produced the longest stems in both seasons (16.13 and 17.25 cm, respectively), with no significant differences from those of substrate-PM in the 2018 season. Seedling SL for substrates C2, C4, and PM was significant similar. Substrate-CC\u0026rsquo;s seedlings were the shortest in both seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eA).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe seedling SD ranged from 0.28 cm with substrate-CC to 0.48 cm with substrate-C3 in 2018 season, and from 0.09 cm with substrate-CC to 0.24 cm with substrates of C1 and C2 in 2019 season, with significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) differences among them in both seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eB). In both season, thicker seedlings were produced on each of substrates C3 (0.48 and 0.23 cm, respectively) and C4 (0.46 and 0.22 cm, respectively) compared to PM (0.32 and 0.20 cm, respectively) and CC (0.09 for both seasons). The seedling SD in substrates of the produced composts and PM did not have a significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) difference during the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eB).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe compost had significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) impact on the fresh weights of seedling shoot (SFW) and root (RFW). SFW varied from 0.15g on substrate-CC to 1.63 on substrate-C3 in the 2018 season, and from 0.16g on substrate-CC to 1.66g on substrate-C3 in the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eC). The RFW fluctuated between 0.43g on substrate-CC to 0.41g on substrate-C4 in the 2018 season, and between 0.45g on substrate-CC to 0.38g on substrate-C3 in the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eD). In both seasons, substrate-C3 produced the highest SFW (1.37 and 1.64g, respectively) and RFW (0.40 and 0.38 g, respectively), followed by those for C2, C4, and CP, with no significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences between them (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eC-D). In both seasons, substrate-CC produced the lowest SFW (0.15 and 0.16g, respectively) and RFW (0.04 and 0.05g, respectively) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eC-D). The seedling shoot: root ratios did not show any significant differences among the substrates.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe seedling LA (cm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) experienced ranging between 4.20 on substrate-CC to 12.28 on substrate-C2 in the 2018 season, and from 2.20 on substrate-CC to 20.95 on substrate-C3 in the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eE). In both seasons, seedlings grown on substrate-C3 produce the most leaf area (12.11 and 20.95, respectively), followed by those produced on substrates for C2 (12.28 and 17.13, respectively), C4 (11.37 and 12.73, respectively), and CP (11.13 and 13.00, respectively), with no significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences between them in the 2018 season alone. The LA of substrate-CC seedlings were the lowest in both seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eE).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3.2. Seedling chlorophyll and carotenoids content\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eChlorophylls and carotenoids in leaves can serve as an indicator of the physiological status of the plant's photosynthetic function. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e displays the leaf content of chlorophylls and carotenoids. The content of chlor-a (mg g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003eFW) in the seedling leaves ranged from 3.57 with substrate-CC to 6.61 with substrate-C2, and from 15.08 with substrate-CC to 17.18 with substrate-C3, with significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences among them in the 2018 only (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eA). During the 2018 season, seedlings grown on substrates for C2, C3, and C4 had the highest leaf content of chlor-a (6.61, 5.63, and 4.60 mg g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003eFW, respectively). The content of chlor-b (mg g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003eFW) in the seedling leaves was between 1.30 with substrate-C3 and 1.82 with substrate-C2 in the 2018 season, and between 9.22 with substrate-CC and 24.54 with substrate-C1, with significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) differences among them in only the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eB). During the 2019 season, seedlings grown on substrates for C1 and C3 had the highest leaf content of chlor-b (24.54 and 19.20 mg g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003eFW, respectively). Substrate-CC\u0026rsquo;s seedlings had the least chlor-b, but they were not significantly different from those of substrate-C2\u0026rsquo;s seedlings. The leaf content of t-cholr (mg g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) varied from 4.98 with substrate-CC to 8.43 with substrate-C2 in the 2018, and from 24.30 with substrate-CC to 41.68 with substrate-C1 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eC). In both seasons, substrate-C3 seedlings had the highest level of leaf t-chlor (6.93 and 36.38, respectively), with no significant differences from those of substrates for C2 in the 2018 (8.43) and C1 in the 2019 (41.68). The t-carot leaf contents (mg g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003eFW) were between 1.27 with substrate-CC to 2.33 with substrate-C3 in the 2018 season, and 7.32 with substrate-CC to 9.62 with subsatre-C1 in the 2019 seasons. During both seasons, the highest level of leaf t-chlor observed with seedling of substrates for C2 (2.17 and 8.52) and C3 (2.33 and 9.34), with no significant differences from those of substrates for C1, C4, and PM in the 2019 season (9.62, 8.76, 8.71). In both seasons, substrate-CC seedlings had the lowest level of leaf t-carot, with no significant differences from those of substrates for C1, C4, and PM seedlings in 2018.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubstrate-C3 seedlings had the highest levels of carotenoids and chlorophylls in both seasons, with almost no significant differences from those of substrates for C2 and C4 seedlings (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). This may be due to the high content of NPK nutrients in these composts (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). Atland et al. (2002) found a positive correlation between the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves and the nitrogen content of the growth substrate. Also, Neto et al. (2005) found that P and K minerals in growth substrates can have a positive impact on the formation of carotenoids and chlorophylls. Seedlings of substrate-CC had the least content of chlorophyll and carotenoids during both seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). In the 2018 season, chlor-a was more abundant than chlor-b (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eA\u0026amp;B), with a chlor-a/chlor-b ratio ranging from 2.5 with substrate-CC to 4.3 with substrate-C3. In 2019, the quantity of chlor-a and chlor-b was almost convergent (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eA\u0026amp;B), with a chlor-a/chlor-b ratio ranging from 0.7 with substrate-C1 to 1.2 with substrate-CC. Franzoni et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) observed an increase in chlor-a and a decrease in chlor-b in response to salt stress in lettuce plants. In addition, the fact that chlor-b is degraded to chlor-a (Fang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e), could be the explanation for the high chlorophylls content measured in lettuce seedling leaves of C2-C4 seedlings compared to CC-seedlings (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eA-C).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3.3. Seedling nutrient content and substrate\u0026rsquo;s residue nutrients\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompost had a significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) impact on the seedling content of each N, P, and K in in both seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eA-C). The N content (mg 100g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003eDW) in seedlings ranged from 1.19 on substrate-C1 to 2.03 on substrate-C3 in the 2018 season, and from 1.91 on substrate-C2 to 2.31 on substrate-C1 in the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eA). In both seasons, substrate-C3 seedlings had the highest significantly N content (2.03 and 2.18, respectively), with no significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences from those for C1 (2.31) and C4 (2.25) in only 2019 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eA). The P content (mg 100g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003eDW) in the seedlings ranged from 0.09 with substrate-CC to 0.27 with substrate-PM in the 2018 season, and from 0.21 with substrate-C2 to 0.28 on substrate-C4 in the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eB). The highest seedling P content was found with substrate-PM in the 2018 season and with substrates for C1 and C4 in the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eB). The K content (mg 100g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) in the seedlings was between 3.75 with substrate-C1 to 4.87 with substrate-C3 in the 2018 season, and between 4.03 with substrate-CC to 5.86 with substrate-C4 in the 2019 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eC). In both seasons, substrate-C4 seedlings had the highest significant K content (4.56 and 5.86, respectively), with no significant differences from those of substrates for C2 (4.66), C3 (4.87), and CP (4.41) in 2018, and for C1 (5.12) in 2019 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eC). Generally, seedlings grown on substrates for the produced compost had a higher NPK content than those of PM and CC. This coincides with an increase in NPK content (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e) and a moderation in salinity level (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eC) of the produced compost. These findings were in line with those of Ribeiro et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e) and Bustamante et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e), who found that lettuce seedling elemental content rose as they grew on various compost substrates known for their high elements content and moderate EC.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompost had a significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) impact on the residual N, P, and K content in growth substrates after seedling were grown in both seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eD-F). The substrates with the highest residual N (mg 100g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) were C2, C4, C3, C1, PM, and CC, with a range of 76.4\u0026ndash;12.2 in 2018 and C3, C4, PM, C1, CC, and C2 with a range of 8.1\u0026ndash;6.2 in 2019 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eD). The greatest contents of residual P (mg 100g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) were found in the substrates for CC, PM, C4, C1, C3, and CC in 2018, with a range of 6.51\u0026ndash;21.86; and those for C4, C3, C2, PM, CC, and C1 in 2019, with a range of 40.71\u0026ndash;65.47 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eE). The highest residual K contents (mg 100g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) were found, in order, in substrates for C2, PM, C3, CC, C4, and C1 with a range of 740.49-1230.99 in 2018, and those for C3, C2, PM, C4, and CC with a range of 1214.01-1568.03 in 2019 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eF). In both seasons, the substrates for the produced composts had a higher residual nutrient content than those for PM, in conjunction with a higher nutrient content (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). The residual nutrients differed between both seasons. Residual N exhibited high values during the 2018 season, but residual P and K exhibited high values during the 2019 season.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe nutrition requirements (mg 100g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) for lettuce seedlings are around 20\u0026ndash;60 N (Kratky and Mishima \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1981\u003c/span\u003e; Masson 1991), 0.35\u0026ndash;0.50 P (Soundy et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR67\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001a\u003c/span\u003e), and 2.4 K (Soundy et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR68\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001b\u003c/span\u003e). During both seasons, the seedlings absorbed a negligible amount of NPK nutrients, as demonstrated by their fresh weight (the sum of their shoot and root weights; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eC-D) and NPK content for each treatment (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eA-C). Although PM had low nutrient content (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e), seedlings were able to absorb a significant proportion of nutrients from the substrate-PM during both growth seasons, specifically N and P (Table \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS1\u003c/span\u003e). Despite the high nutrition content of the CC (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e), the proportion of nutrients absorbed by seedlings from their substrate was low in both seasons, particularly for P and K (Table \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS1\u003c/span\u003e). Seedlings become less efficient at absorbing nutrients with an increase the substrate\u0026rsquo;s salinity (Nasri et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) and alkalinity (Kamaluddin and Zwiyazik 2004). The high pH and EC values in the compost substrates, particularly for CC, prevented the growing lettuce seedlings from absorbing nutrients. As a result, the substrates had a high residual nutritional content (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eD-F).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec23\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3.4. Quantity and Quality of lettuce seedlings yield\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe quantity and quality of lettuce yield were significantly impacted by compost seedlings in a limited way (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e). The average head weight measured as total (HTW) and marketable (HMW) did not differ significantly between compost heads (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eA-B), except for HTW for the 2018 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eA). PM and compost heads (C1-C4) had the highest HTW (433.03-637.58g), while CC heads had the lowest HTW in 2018 (370.27g) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eA). The number of outer (NOHL) and inner (NIHL) head leaves was not significantly different between the compost heads, except for NIHL in the 2018 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eC-D). The lots NIHL was observed with heads of C2, CP, and C1 (30.25, 28.75, and 27.75), with no significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences among them in 2018 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eC). The NIHL in CC\u0026rsquo;s heads (20.65) was the lowest in 2018 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eC). Compost seedlings had significant impacts on head firmness (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) and head stem diameter (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) only during the 2018 season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eE-F). The heads of C2, CP, and C3 had the highest firmness (4.05, 3.58, and 3.40 kg cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e), with no significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences among them (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eE). However, the heads of CC had the lowest firmness (2.14kg cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e) in 2018. The heads of PM, C1, C3, and C4 had the thickest stems (3.15, 3.08, 3.08, and 2.93 cm), with no significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) differences among them during 2018 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003eF). CC heads had the lowest stem dimeter in 2018 (2.43cm). Generally, lettuce heads of substrates for C1-C4 and PM had significantly similar quantities and quality traits. Stated differently, differences between compost seedlings disappear after transplanting.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of lettuce seedling and yield traits were different for both seasons due to the differences in agro-climate conditions, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The 2018 season was cloudier, but the 2019 season saw more rain, relative humidity, and soil moisture in the root zone (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Due to the high relative air humidity and decreased cloud cover blocking the active sunlight for photosynthesis (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e), lettuce seedlings in 2019 had higher photosynthetic pigments (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e) and NPK nutrients (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eA-C) than in 2018. As a result, the photosynthetic rates increased, as well as the shoot and root weights (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eA-B) and leaf area (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eF) of the seedlings. It was observed that the head\u0026rsquo;s weight, number of leaves, and stem diameter breadth all grew in 2019 compared to 2018 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec24\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3.5. Multivariate analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo identify the best substrates for growing lettuce seedlings, the relationships between seedling traits and substrates were evaluated using PCA. Restricting the PCA analysis to seedling traits alone, as most of the significant differences between substrate-specific seedlings disappeared after transplantation. The 12 seedling traits dimensions were reduced by PCA to two PCs (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003eA), which according to Kaiser\u0026rsquo;s criteria (eigenvalue\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;1) account for 89.57% of the total variance. PC1 accounted for 77.72% of the total variance (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003eA) and had a positive correlation with SL, LA, SFW, RFW, and t-carot (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003eB). PC2 had a positive correlation with both chlor-b and t-chlor, which accounts for 11.85% of the total variance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe biplot between the first two PCs displays that compost substrates are separated in all four quarters, which suggests that there is considerable variation among them in their influence on the lettuce seedling traits (Yan and Kang \u003cspan citationid=\"CR76\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e). The distribution of C2-C4 substrates within a quarter shows similarity in their effects on seedling traits. Despite being distributed in its independent quadrant, PM was close to C2-C4, which suggests their similarity. The substrates C1 and CC were separated from other substrates in separate quadrants. Substrates of C2-C4 and PM had a high value of SL, SD, SFW, RFW, chlor-a, LA, and N, a moderate value of chlor-b, t-chlor, t-carot, and P (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003eB). C1-substrate had high levels of chlor-b, t-chlor, t-carot, and P, and moderate levels of SL, SD, SFW, RFW, chlor-a, LA, N and K. CC-substrate had low values of seedling traits (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003eB). There was relative agreement between the results of the PCA analysis in the composts distribution depending on the compost properties (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e) and the effect of its substrates with vermiculite on the lettuce seedling traits (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings of this study suggest that lettuce organic seedlings can be produced using composts made by mixing bagasse (C2), cutting grassland (C3), or date palm fronds (C4) with cattle dung into the its substrates with vermiculite. This is despite the fact that these composts have moderate EC and high BD and pH. This supports the results of some previous studies. Ceglie et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) found that mixing peat-moss with either green compost or date fiber trunk compost increased the substrate's EC and pH and decreased its BD, while also increasing the stem's length and diameter, leaf area, and fresh weight of the lettuce seedlings. Abid et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) found tomato seed germination and root growth were favorably facilitated by compost made from date palm waste. Also, Dhen et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) found that lettuce seedlings grown on a compost substrate of date palm waste were equivalent to those grown on a peat substrate in terms of stem length and diameter, leaf area, fresh weights of stem and root, and leaf content of chlorophyll b. Additionally, incorporating 25\u0026ndash;50% date-palm compost with commercial peat can improve the performance of lettuce seedlings. Webber et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR74\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) reported that the growth substrate of pumpkin and melon seedlings was enhanced by substituting 25\u0026ndash;75% bagasse compost with peat.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eMixing agricultural and agro-industrial wastes correctly based on their properties can produce compost with suitable physical, chemical, and biological properties for seed germination and seedling growth. It will take more investigation to improve the C2-C4 compost\u0026rsquo;s properties by using certain techniques before, during, or after the composting process. Noguera et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e) found that decreasing waste particle size to 0.125- 2.0 mm increased compost air content and decreased its water holding capacity, EC, and the available macro- and micro-element concentrations. Raja et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) produced a compost with peat-like physical and chemical properties when prolonging the decomposing period of date palm fronds to about 30 weeks. Perospe-Ochoa et al. (2012) state that filter mud can acquire peat-like physical properties via washing. Furthermore, a variety of organic waste mixtures must be evaluated to determine the most suitable ones for producing compost with peat-like properties. Further research is also required to investigate the use of C2-C4 composts in seedling substrates of various vegetable crops with variable peat mixing ratios to determine the most successful methods of using them in nurseries.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eThe data availability statement\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll the data underlying the results are available as part of the article, and no additional source data are required.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMahmoud, El-Helaly, and Afifi suggested the study\u0026rsquo;s objectives and the investigation approaches and models.Mohamed conducted the research method and collected the data.Mahmoud and El-Tawshy analyzed the data statistically.Mahmoud and Mohamed prepared a draft, including pre- or post-publication.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbad M, Noguera P, Bur\u0026eacute;s S (2001) National inventory of organic wastes for use as growing media for ornamental potted plant production: Case study in Spain. 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Ministry of Tate for Environmental Affairs, Egypt. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttp://www.wmra.gov.eg/en-us/ReportsandGuidelines/ReportsandIndicators/Documents/2013_Annual%20Report%20for%20SWM%20in%20Egypt_EN.pdf\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"http://www.wmra.gov.eg/en-us/ReportsandGuidelines/ReportsandIndicators/Documents/2013_Annual%20Report%20for%20SWM%20in%20Egypt_EN.pdf\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Bulk density, C/N ratio, electrical conductivity, peat substitute, principal component analysis, seedling growth","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3927758/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3927758/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePeat is an unrenewable resource. The potential of using composts made from a mixture of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes as peat substitutes was evaluated in this study. Four compost piles (C1-C4) were constructed by mixing various wastes after estimating their properties. C1 was a 1:1:1.5 weight ratio mixture of filter mud, mushroom waste, and date-palm fronds, while C2-C4 were a 0.5:1 weight ratio mixture between either bagasse, cutting grassland, or date-palm fronds and cattle dung. After four months of decomposition, the compost\u0026rsquo;s physical, chemical, and biological properties were estimated in comparison to commercial compost (CC), peatmoss (PM), and their ideal ranges (IR) for seed germination and seedling growth. Composts had significant differences in physical and chemical properties. Some composts revealed property values within the IR. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that composts lack peat-like properties. Composts had a lower C/N ratio and organic matter, along with higher bulk density, electrical conductivity, and pH compared to PM. Cattle manure enhanced organic matter and carbon, total nitrogen and potassium, and ammonium levels and reduced ash levels in C2-C4, compared to filter mud in C1. The suitability of C1-C4, CC, and PM substrates for growing crisp lettuce 'Big Bell' seedlings was evaluated during the winters of 2018 and 2019 under plastic-house conditions. The substrates had significant effects on lettuce seedling traits. C2-C4 substrate seedlings\u0026rsquo; vegetative shoots grew more rapidly than other substrate seedlings due to the increased length and diameter of their stem and leaf area. The PCA revealed that PM-substrate and C2-C4 substrates had similar effects on lettuce seedling growth traits. The proper mixing of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes based on their properties can produce compost with relatively suitable physical, chemical, and biological properties for lettuce seed germination and seedling growth. It will take more investigation to improve the C2-C4 compost\u0026rsquo;s properties by using certain techniques.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Potential of Producing Organic Lettuce Seedlings without Peat Using Agricultural and Agro-industrial Compost","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-02-09 04:02:13","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3927758/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f8148965-1f9c-43bd-be62-c30ff7c6eb4f","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 9th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-07-16T14:49:40+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-3927758","link":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2024.2378927","journal":{"identity":"journal-of-plant-nutrition","isVorOnly":true,"title":"Journal of Plant Nutrition"},"publishedOn":"2024-07-16 14:49:40","publishedOnDateReadable":"July 16th, 2024"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-02-09 04:02:13","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1080/01904167.2024.2378927","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2024.2378927","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3927758","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3927758","identity":"rs-3927758","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}