Vermicompost as a soil amendment for tomato production
Paper Details
Vermicompost as a soil amendment for tomato production
Abstract
Soil amendment in many countries is used by farmers to improve soil’s physical, chemical and biological properties for better crop growth and development. The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of soil amendment through the use of vermicompost on the growth and yield of tomato. It was conducted at the upland research area of the Cagayan State University, Piat Campus from January to April 2019. Six treatments used as follows: T1 ‒ Control, T2 ‒ 80-90-60 kg NPK ha-1, T3 ‒ 80-90-60 kg NPK ha-1 + 5 bags Vermicompost ha-1, T4 ‒ 80-90-60 kg NPK ha-1 + 15 bags Vermicompost ha-1, T5 ‒ 80-90-60 kg NPK ha-1 + 20 bags Vermicompost ha-1 and T6 ‒ 10 bags Vermicompost ha-1. The experiment was laid out following the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three (3) replications. Based on the result, the tallest plants at 30 and 60 DAT were obtained by the plants applied with the recommended rate of fertilizer amended with 5 to 20 bags of vermicompost. Application of 80-90-60 kg NPK ha-1 amended with 15 to 20 bags vermicompost ha-1 produced the most number of fruits, heaviest fruits per plant and per sampling area. The combined application of the recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer at the rate of 80-90-60 kg NPK ha-1 amended with 15 to 20 bags of vermicompost not only the heaviest fruits but also obtained the highest ROI with values of 319 and 378.73 percent. This nutrient management practice in tomato production is a good agricultural practice modality that attempts to support the Organic Agriculture Law of 2010. Hence, it is recommended.
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