This project contains the materials, analytical framework, and supplementary outputs for a systematic review and quantitative synthesis of peat-free and peat-reduced growing media used in the nursery production of tropical perennial seedlings relevant to agroforestry systems. The study is explicitly substrate-centered and integrates treatment-level synthesis, a Composite Performance Index (CPI), adjusted modeling of physicochemical drivers, empirical quality-control windows, and a supplementary lnRR-based meta-analytic layer.: contentReferenceoaicite: 0index=0 The evidence base comprises 84 eligible studies distributed across the tropical belt and spanning multiple perennial crop groups, including forest tree species, fruit trees, coffee, cocoa, palms, rubber, and vines. Across the synthesis, coir/cocopeat-based mixes showed the strongest recurring integrated-performance signal, while high-performing substrate systems were generally associated with moderately low bulk density, intermediate pH, low-to-moderate electrical conductivity, and elevated fertility-supporting properties, especially TOC, N, P, and CEC. The broader goal of the project is to move the interpretation of peat-free media beyond simple ingredient substitution toward functional substrate design. In this context, the project aims to generate practical and reproducible guidance for the design of nursery media that can support the production of robust perennial seedlings for tropical agroforestry systems using regionally available and potentially more circular inputs.
Araújo et al. (Thu,) studied this question.