COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF ORGANIC FERTILIZATION OF TOMATOES CULTIVATED | ||
| IRAQ JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE | ||
| Article 1, Volume 19, Issue 3, June 2014, Pages 0-0 | ||
| Authors | ||
| A. A.F. Al-Taii; Sh. S. Ibrahim; H. A. Hadwan; M. A. Kathum; M. F. Abdul Hameed | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Organic fertilization is an important practice in organic farming. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the performance of compost and vermicompost in improving land productivity and tomatoes yield (variety Sandra). A plastic house experiment was conducted for the season 2010-2011 at the site of composting, National Center for Organic Farming, Ministry of Agriculture. The plastic house was divided into three blocks. Five treatments were randomly assigned to each block; T1: recommended chemical fertilizer (RCF), T2: 10 ton compost/ha + ½ RCF, T3: 20 ton compost/ha + ¼ RCF, T4: 30 ton compost/ha, and T5: vermicompost at a rate of 2.5 ton/ha. The mixtures of compost, compost+chemical fertilizer, or vermicompost were incorporated with the upper 0-20 cm of each plot. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design in three replicates. The plastic house was supplied with drip irrigation system. Control of pest was carried out during plant development. In the present study, materials permitted by the rules of organic farming were used to control pests and diseases. Results indicated that no significant differences were found among the yield means. However, the highest yield (186.3 kg/plot) was obtained for T3 and the lowest (162.7 kg/plot) for vermicompost. Generally, replacement of chemical fertilizer with varied rate of compost or vermicompost produced beneficial effects on plant growth parameters. The levels of NH4 (52.5-73.6 mg/kg) and NO3 (45.5-88.8 mg/kg) during season (mid) and post-harvest (end) remain high in treatments received organic fertilizers. The magnitudes of Extractable P increased during mid-season and reached the range 22.5-34.5 mg/kg. Different behavior was observed for soil P at the end of season where Ext. P was the highest and different significantly for T5 followed by T3. The use of 30 ton compost/ha (T4) and 2.5 ton vermicompost/ha (T5) resulted in the highest Ext K at mid-season and differed significantly from the other treatments. Nearly similar trend was observed for Ext K at the end season where the highest values exhibited by the compost and vermicompost. These results indicated that organic fertilization maintained high levels of macronutrients during the growing season of tomato and post-harvest. | ||
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