| Sumario: | In the sustainable organic waste management context, this s
tudy was carried out to
explore the potential of easily available composts and orga
nic by-products for
Pinus
halepensis
forestry in Mediterranean areas. The study consisted in fou
r experiments
using locally abundant organic waste: experiments I and IV e
valuated their suitability
as fertilizers for nurseries and pine replanting respectiv
ely; experiment II considered
vermicompost efficiency as a root-growth promoter; experim
ent III assessed the aptitude
of organic waste as a component of forestry substrates. Diff
erent plant measurements,
morphological attributes and analytical determinations w
ere used to assess seedling
quality and to evaluate substrates and fertilizers’ aptitu
de. Fertilization experiments run
under nursery conditions showed that organic waste produce
d plantlets with similar
morphological and nutritional states to mineral products w
ith good quality standards. In
pine replanting, organic fertilization clearly increased
soil organic matter levels, enhancing
soil nutritional and structural conditions. When evaluatin
g different mixtures as substrate,
no large differences appeared among treatments, except for
the seedlings grown in
virgin or recycled coconut fiber, where greater aerial devel
opment was achieved. Further
research is needed to comprehend why the use of vermicompost
as a root-growth
promoter did not produce the expected effects. The obtained
results indicate that organic
by-products and composts can substitute the mineral fertil
izers and substrates usually
employed in the Mediterranean Region in
P. halepensis
forestry to contribute to develop
a local circular economy.
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