Utilization of Vermicompost Sludge Instead of Peat in Olive Tree Nurseries in the Frame of Circular Economy and Sustainable Development
, Evangelos Hatzigiannakis 1, Stefanos Stefanou 2, Athanasios Guitonas 3 and Efstathios K. Oikonomou 3Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear authors!
The submitted article is devoted to the effectiveness of the Circular Economy and Sustainable Development in the process of growing seedlings in Olive Tree Nurseries. The research problem seems to be relevant for the Mediterranean region, where most of the olive plants are cultivated. The advantages of the article include an integrated approach to assessing the effectiveness of the proposed solutions.
However, there are a number of important comments. I recommend the authors to correct the article.
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Author Response
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Reviewer 2 Report
The content of the manuscript is interesting but not relevant, because it is already well known that the use of vermicompost compost is better than peat. It is necessary to make a greater analysis of the results, with respect to the concentrations of organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, heavy metals. The further analysis of the results will make the manuscript interesting. For example: the greater retention of water, is it not because of the compounds present in the compost that structure the soil more where they are added? It is well known that organic matter complexes metals, so the decrease in heavy metals in vermicompost, is it because it is complexed or because they are not actually present?
Author Response
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Reviewer 3 Report
The study, which is the subject of the presented article, is interesting and topical. The introduction is comprehensive, includes 27 authors and introduces to the subject. The experimental design and treatments, analytical methods, statistical analysis and economic evaluation are described in great detail in "Materials and Methods". The obtained results, unlike other previous ones, are encouraging regarding the possibility of replacing peat with another suitable substrate. They are well presented (in tables and figures), with relevant data statistics. The economic evaluation is very important - it complements the ecological effect of the research in a financial aspect. The main drawback of the article (presented in this way) is the insufficient number of parameters (only plant height and diameter) supporting the positive effect of using vermicomposted sludge. Other morphological parameters could be included here - root length, number of leaves, leaf area, etc. Conclusions are short and meaningful. The literature includes 41 references, most of which are from the last 10 years.
Author Response
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Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear authors!
The authors made the necessary adjustments to the manuscript and answered all questions. I recommend accepting the manuscript after minor revision (corrections to minor methodological errors and text editing). I strongly advise the authors to change the way of writing of numeric values in tables 1 and 7: do not use a comma when denoting thousands (I recommend writing 10130; 21130... or 10 130; 21 130… instead of 10,130; 21,130, etc.).
Author Response
Dear Reviewer, thank you very much for your valuable comments. We have changed the way of writing of numeric values in table 1 and 7 and throughout the manuscript also, using no comma when denoting thousands.
Reviewer 2 Report
The modifications made significantly improved the manuscript, so I recommend its publication.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer, thank you very much for your supportive feedback. We appreciate your positive comments.
