Evaluation of Composts and Their Combinations with Other Materials on Tomato Growth

Abstract

Three kinds of composts were assessed for their capacity to support tomato growth. Agricultural compost (poultry manure and cranberry presscake), sewage compost (biosolids and woodchips), and yard waste (mostly leaves) were evaluated alone and in combination with peat moss and soil. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants were grown until fruit initiation in the media. Eight growth indices were measured, including plant height, numbers of flowers, fruit and leaves, and dry weights of initiated fruits, leaves, stems, and total plant tissues. The correlation of these indices with total plant growth was assessed for their potential use in nondestructive harvests. Based on vegetative production, the agricultural-waste compost gave the highest growth, and the yard waste gave the least growth. Generally, the higher the nutrient content of the media, the better the growth. Adding soil, peat moss, or both components to the media diluted the nutrient contents; hence, growth of plants in media that was formulated with peat, soil, or both amendments increased more with additions of fertilizer than growth in unamended media. For assessment of growth without destructive harvest, numbers of flowers or numbers of leaves per plant were predictive of total plant mass.