Press Release from Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, Ministry of Agriculture

"Taoyuan No. 4" Seedling Medium Optimizes Agricultural Residues for Carbon Reduction, Environmental Protection, and High Efficiency

February 5, 2025

　　To promote sustainability and efficiency in seedling cultivation, the Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, Ministry of Agriculture (hereinafter Taoyuan DARES) has developed a new leafy vegetable seedling medium, "Taoyuan No. 4," utilizing locally sourced agricultural residues such as cattle manure and rice husks. Compared to conventional commercial peat-based media used in nurseries within the station’s jurisdiction, "Taoyuan No. 4" significantly increases the number of leaves and dry weight of leafy vegetable seedlings. Additionally, its production cost is 55%–65% lower than that of commercially available peat-based media, making it an ideal choice for nursery operators looking to cultivate healthy short-term leafy vegetable seedlings.

　　Taoyuan DARES noted that within its jurisdiction, private nurseries collectively produce 10–15 million short-term leafy vegetable seedlings annually, supplying approximately 400–600 hectares of farmland. This requires around 700 metric tons of cultivation medium each year. Traditionally, nursery operators use a mix of imported peat and coir fiber as their primary growing medium. However, both materials are reliant on foreign imports, with peat extraction particularly linked to terrestrial carbon sequestration, leading many countries to impose bans on its mining. Consequently, securing peat-based media will become increasingly challenging and costly in the future. To address this issue, Taoyuan DARES has developed "Taoyuan No. 4," which substitutes imported coir and peat with locally available rice husks and cattle manure. This innovation not only lowers production costs but also stabilizes the quality of leafy vegetable plug seedlings.

　　According to Taoyuan DARES, "Taoyuan No. 4" is formulated primarily from domestically recyclable agricultural byproducts, reducing the transportation costs associated with importing foreign materials. As a byproduct of livestock and rice farming, it does not face depletion issues like peat nor require excessive water consumption for processing, as is the case with coir fiber. Commercially available seedling media typically cost around NT$10–13 per kilogram, whereas "Taoyuan No. 4" costs approximately NT$4.5 per kilogram. Nursery trials have demonstrated that seedlings cultivated with "Taoyuan No. 4" exhibit superior plant height, leaf number, root length, and both fresh and dry biomass compared to those grown in conventional imported media. The seedling vigor index increased from 0.66 to 2.71, significantly improving transplant success rates in the field.

　　Taoyuan DARES further explained that the formulation and preparation technology of "Taoyuan No. 4" has been publicly announced for non-exclusive technical licensing. Moving forward, the station will continue to promote its application and refinement. Nursery operators interested in adopting this medium formulation and preparation technology are encouraged to contact Assistant Researcher Hsueh-Jung Tang at Taoyuan DARES.

Contact Information

Crop Environment Section, Assistant Researcher: Hsueh-Jung Tang Tel: 03-4768216 ext. 330

Agricultural Extension Section: Associate Researcher Shing-Jong Lay,Tel: 03-4768216 ext. 410

Figure 1. Appearance of the seedling medium for leafy vegetables of Taoyuan No. 4.

Figure 2. Growth of plug seedlings cultivated using Taoyuan No. 4 seedling medium for leafy vegetables.