Effects of Continuously Applied Vermicompost on Media Properties, Growth, Yield, and Fruit Quality of Two Tomato Varieties

ABSTRACT

In the first and second seasons, growth and yield of tomato were also influenced by different vermicompost (VC) rates and reused VC. Obviously, increasing VC proportion led to the augmentation of electrical conductivity (EC), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) in planting media in both seasons. However, in the first season, the nutrient absorbent ability of tomato was remarkably higher compared to those in the second season due to higher available nutrient in the media of the first season. This may influence the shoot dry weight as well as the yield of tomato in both seasons. In T4 treatment, the yield attained the highest value in the first season for both varieties with the values of 562.3 and 812.4 g/plant for small honey (V1) and graces (V2), respectively. In the second season, the N, P, K, Ca, and Mg in media significantly decreased compared to those in the first season (496.4 g/plant-V1 and 508.3 g/plant-V2). In comparison, the yields in the first season were higher those in second season by 13.2% and 59.8% for V1 and V2, respectively. However, in the second season, the maximum yield found in T5 (508.3 g/plant-V1 and 682.2 g/plant-V2) and declining by 10.6 and 19.1% compared to those in the first season for V1 and V2, respectively. This can be explained that amounts of nutrients from the media in the first season had supported the growth and development of tomato, resulting deficiency of nutrients in the media for the second season.

KEYWORDS:

• Chemical characteristic
• fruit quality
• productivity
• tomato
• vermicompost