Organic Amendments: Direct Application and Residual Effects on Vegetative and Reproductive Growth of Hot Pepper

Abstract

The high production potential of coffee and animals in the Gedeo zone that could produce huge amounts of coffee pulp and animal manure wastes has been polluting the environment. In this sense, this study was aimed at averting pollution and managing plant and animal wastes, focusing on the effect of coffee pulp and animal manure in the form of vermicompost, biochar, and ordinary compost on hot pepper vegetative and reproductive growth. A 15 ton per hectare of each treatment was applied in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Vegetative and reproductive growth parameters (plant height, leaf number, number of branches, days to 50% flowering, total fresh biomass, number of fruits per plant, single fruit length, and fruit yield per hectare) were recorded, and the statistical difference was determined at 5% significance level using R-program. The result showed that there was a significant difference among treatments. Coffee pulp vermicompost prepared using Eisenia fetida earthworm had significantly ( P < 0.05 ) higher results in plant height, leaf number, number of branches, total fresh biomass, number of fruits per plant, single fruit length, and total yield, while the minimum values were recorded in topsoil (control treatment) and animal manure compost. The direct and residual effects of vermicompost and biochar organic amendments were the potential organic fertilizers for hot pepper fast growth and to produce enormous yield, which might be due to their nature in improving soil physicochemical and biological properties as well as nutrient uptake.

Direct Application of Coffee Pulp Vermicompost Produced from Epigeic Earthworms and Its Residual Effect on Vegetative and Reproductive Growth of Hot Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

“…Hazrat et al [ 37 ] also revealed that the highest application rate of vermicompost even produced the maximum number of fruits of chilli. This finding was also in agreement with the finding of Berhe et al [ 21 ] who mentioned that maximum fruit numbers were recorded from the plant supplied with the maximum application rate of CEV followed by the highest application of CEV_CDV.…”

“…Similarly, Olowoake et al [ 14 ] revealed that the application rate of vermicompost positively affects fruit length of Cucumber crop. This result was also supported by the findings of Berhe et al [ 21 ] who reported that longer fruit length was recorded from the direct application of 15 t/ha Eisenia fetida vermicompost followed by 15 t/ha combination of Eisenia fetida and Dendrobaena veneta vermicompost, which might be due to the ability of the worms to produce hormones for crop growth so as to increase the fruit length of pepper.…”

“…In a similar manner, the findings of Dalorima et al [ 31 ] and Alemu et al [ 33 ] showed that a larger number of leaves and an increased leaf area were recorded from watermelon crop. This result was also supported by the findings of Berhe et al [ 21 ] and Ali et al [ 36 ] who reported that a larger number of leaves were recorded from pepper supplied with the highest application rate of CEV in both direct application and residual effect cases followed by the maximum application of CEV_CDV.…”

“…The findings of Nurhidayati et al [ 16 ] and Berhe et al [ 21 ] revealed that a crop amended with the direct application of 10–15 t/ha CEV produced a larger total biomass weight than the other treatment rates. Moreover, the report by Walkley and Black [ 22 ], Mengistu et al [ 38 ], and Yatoo et al [ 39 ] indicated that the increased rate of application of vermicompost positively influences the mean total biomass weight of vegetable crops.…”

“…The fresh weight of the fruit (g) was measured just after harvesting with the help of an electronic weighing machine. Fruit yield was determined by adding the total fruit weight over all the pickings from each plot and converted on a hectare basis by using the following formula [ 21 ]. These agronomic data parameters were repeated in the second growing season.…”