EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT RATES OF COMPOST MINERAL FERTILIZER ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF TOMATO

Abstract

Compost – mineral fertilizer has dual effects; improving soil nutrient status and organic matter content which results to increase in yield of cultivated crops. A field experiment was carried out at the Ambrose Alli University Teaching and Research Farm, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria to evaluate the effect of different rates of compost-mineral fertilizer and compost on the growth and yield of tomato. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with seven treatments replicated thrice. The treatments were; control, recommended 10 tonnes of compost, 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 tonnes/hectare (t/ha) of compost-mineral fertilizer. The initial soil analysis showed low nutrients status and the application of fertilizer was necessary to boost its fertility. Parameters taken were; plant height, stem girth, number of branches, number of flowers at 50% flowering, number of fruits and fresh weight of fruits. From the results, the application of 4, 6 and 8t/ha compost-mineral fertilizer significantly (p< 0.05) increased the growth and yield of tomato compared to other treatments. The yield of tomato obtained from the application of 4, 6 and 8 tonnes of compost- mineral fertilizer (252.50, 272.00 and 294.50 t / ha) were not significantly (p< 0.05) different from each other but significantly (p< 0.05) higher compared to other treatments. Therefore, the application of 6 t / ha of compost-mineral fertilizer can be adopted by farmers for tomato production in the study area.