The Applicability of Renewable Raw Materials for the Professional Horticulture—Ecosystem Services, Profitability and Refinement

Abstract

This preliminary study shows an innovative concept of searching for peat substitutes on basis of renewable raw materials considering the cultivation in extensive land use in Lower Saxony (Germany). Selecting suitable raw material plants against the background of ecological, social and economic issues followed by testing series including those materials should lead on to reliable results for a planned transition through a spatial analysis of potential areas for cultivation with a specific attention on wetlands. Thereby this short report illustrates the concept of the study as well as chosen interim results and it is to be understood as the first paper of a mini-series.