Morphological and Physiological Response of Tomato to Sole and Combined Application of Vermicompost and Chemical Fertilizers

Abstract

Chemical fertilizers are commonly used to meet the nutritional demands of crops and boost their yields. However, their high costs and excessive application in soils increase the cost of production and have negative effects on the soil and environmental health. Vermicompost is an organic amendment that can potentially lessen the dependence on chemical fertilizers, with the additional advantages of sustainable nutrient supply to crops and maintaining soil health. To evaluate the potential of the two diverse vermicompost, the sole and combined applications of these vermicompost with reduced rates of chemical fertilizers were used for tomato cultivation in a field study. The results indicated that vermicompost produced from cattle manure combined with chemical fertilizers was more effective in improving tomato growth, physiology, yield, and nutritional attributes. Compared to the control treatment (NP applied), the combined application of vermicompost and chemical fertilizer significantly improved the root length (21.6%), plant height (167%), SPAD value (13.5%), chlorophyll ‘a’ (96%), chlorophyll ‘b’ (161%), relative water content (16%), membrane stability index (18%), carotenoid (87%), yield (82%), photosynthetic rate (148%), fruit diameter (83%), protein (89%), fat (27.5%), fiber (12%), vitamin C (52%), calcium (54%), magnesium (117%), phosphorus (38%) and potassium (128%). In addition, significant improvements in different soil physicochemical properties were also pragmatic. The results suggest that vermicompost application with reduced doses of chemical fertilizers can be used to improve crop yield and soil physico-chemical properties.

Vermicompost Rate Effects on Soil Fertility and Morpho-Physio-Biochemical Traits of Lettuce

“…Similarly, composting is a valuable practice that enriches soil organic matter content, enhances soil fertility, supports plant growth, improves water retention, aids in bioremediation [16], and contributes to resource conservation in agricultural and gardening systems [18]. The V3 treatment exhibited a 36% higher nitrogen content compared to the control, aligning with previous studies showing elevated total nitrogen levels in VC compared to traditional composts [9,65]. This increase is attributed to accelerated microbial mineralization facilitated by earthworm gut enzymes and excretions [66], indicating vermicompost's potential as a valuable resource for enhancing crop nutrition and yields without additional synthetic fertilizers.…”

“…VC contains a diverse array of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that directly enhance plant productivity through processes like biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), nutrient solubilization, and the production of growth hormones. These mechanisms contribute to improved plant growth, development, and physiology, influencing factors such as carotenoid contents and gas exchange attributes like the photosynthetic rate [65,77]. In this study, phosphatase activity was significantly higher in all treatments compared with the control.…”

Determination of the Effects of Different Irrigation Levels and Vermicompost Doses on Water Consumption and Yield of Greenhouse-Grown Tomato

“…Furthermore, chemical fertilizers are frequently applied to crops to meet their nutritional needs and increase yields. However, their high costs and excessive application in soils increase production costs and sometimes negatively affect the soil and environmental health [15]. Vermicompost (VC) is an organic matter-decomposition product of earthworms and microorganisms working together, a natural eco-manure resource [16].…”

“…Vermicompost (VC) is an organic matter-decomposition product of earthworms and microorganisms working together, a natural eco-manure resource [16]. Vermicompost is an organic amendment with the added benefits of sustaining soil health and providing crops with a sustainable supply of nutrients, potentially reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers [15]. Wu et al [17] examined the impact of VC on the quantity and quality of tomatoes grown in saline soil.…”

Integrated Use of Vermicompost and Biofertilizers to Enhance Growth, Yield and Nutrient Content of Tomato Grown Under Organic Conditions

“…In addition, soil applications of vermicompost suppressed the severity of plant parasitic nematodes (Xiao et al, 2016), soil borne disease like Fusarium oxysporum (Amooaghaie and Golmohammadi, 2017), while foliar application reduced Alernaria brassica crops (Amooaghaie and Golmohammadi, 2017), Phytophthora infestans and bacterial vascular wilt in tomato (Rabet and Ketabchi, 2021) Numerous studies were done to study the impact of the application of vermicompost in integration with the chemical fertilizers to complement each other, as it is a soil amendment and a slow-release fertilizer, whereas the chemical ones are as fast-release sources of elements. Theses studied included onion (Asgele et al, 2018), Phaseolus vulgaris (Mahmoud and Gad, 2020), pepper (Raghunauth et al, 2023;Zhang et al, 2023) and tomato (Qasim et al, 2023).…”