Higher yield of cherry tomato grown in culture medium with microbially inoculated feather compost without fertilizer application

Abstract

AbstractArthrobacter ureafaciens K10, with multiple functions, such as feather degradation, phosphate solubilization, and IAA formation, and Streptomyces sp. CP3, with pitaya cladode‐degrading ability, were co‐inoculated in compost composed of pitaya‐pruning waste (PPW), spent mushroom waste (SMW), and duck feathers (DF) in order to produce a compost called Sapf‐M. Another compost, called Sapf, was manufactured via the same composting procedure but without inoculation. The two compost products were slightly acidic and had a bulk density less than 0.25 g cm−3, a water‐holding capacity (WHC) greater than 85%, a C : N ratio of nearly 10, and a germination index higher than 85%. Higher IAA concentration, EC, phosphate‐solubilizing bacterial numbers, actinobacterial numbers, and water‐soluble nutrients, such as ammonium, magnesium, copper, manganese, and iron, were found in Sapf‐M compared to Sapf. Five different culture media were prepared: peat mixed with Sapf at a 2 : 1 volume ratio (P‐Sapf), peat mixed with Sapf‐M at a 2 : 1 volume ratio (P‐Sapf‐M), Sapf, Sapf‐M, and peat. Each of these was analyzed for its ability to produce cherry tomatoes without fertilization. Higher WHC and water‐soluble ammonium were found in P‐Sapf‐M than in P‐Sapf. Cherry tomato cultured in P‐Sapf‐M showed the highest fruit number and yielded 1.04 kg per plant. Fruit firmness, splitting rate, BER incidence, TSS/acidity, and nutrition were all analyzed. After eradication, the mineral concentrations of roots and culture media were also determined. The results of this study show that the bio‐inoculated Sapf‐M had longer‐lasting fertility and greater plant growth‐promoting abilities than the Sapf when used as the growing medium for cherry tomato production without further fertilization.