| Tomato is the third most produced vegetable in the world.Chemical fertilizers are commonly used to meet the nutritional demands of tomato crops and boost their yields.Irrational application of chemical fertilizers can lead to soil problems such as nutrient loss,poor structure,and reduced microbial population in tomato farmland,which in turn leads to reduced yield and quality of tomato.Increased application of organic fertilizers can effectively improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil and increase the yield and quality of tomato crops.Vermicompost is an organic amendment that can lessen the dependence on chemical fertilizers,with the additional advantages of sustainable nutrient supply to crops and maintaining soil health.To evaluate the potential of the two diverse vermicompost,the sole and combined applications of these vermicompost with reduced rates of chemical fertilizers were used for tomato cultivation in a field study.The present study was conducted in 2021-2022 at Tandojam farm,Sindh,Pakistan.A randomized complete block design(RCBD)was used to arrange the treatments with four replicates.Six treatments were used as follows,T1=N:P(100:50 kg ha-1),T2=N:P:K(100:50:50 kg ha-1),T3=Vermicompost 1(2 t ha-1),T4=Vermicompost 2(2 t ha-1),T5=N:P:K+Vermicompost 1(50:25:25 kg ha-1+1.5 t ha-1)and T6=N:P:K+Vermicompost2(50:25:25 kg ha1+1.5 t ha-1).The results of this study on the effect of fertilizer on the growth,yield,and quality of tomatoes,in addition to the enhancement of soil properties,showed that:(1)Vermicompost 1 combined with chemical fertilizer(T5)treatment effectively improved the morphological and physiological attributes of tomato plants such as root length,root fresh weight and root dry,plant height,shoot fresh weight and shoot dry weight,SPAD value,chlorophyll ’a’,b,total chlorophyll,relative water contents,membrane stability index,photosynthetic rate,and carotenoid contents were increased by 21.6%,45.3%,46.2%,168%,39%,44%,13.5%,96%,155%,109%,17%,16%,89%and 150%,respectively,as compared to individual application of NP(T1).This study examined the effects of various doses and combinations of VC and inorganic fertilizers on tomato plants’ growth and physiological characteristics.We have concluded that the combined application of VC and NPK fertilizers significantly influences plant physiology and morphological characteristics as compared to individual applications of organic and inorganic fertilizers.(2)Vermicompost 1 combined with chemical fertilizer(T5)treatment effectively increased tomato yield kg ha-1,fruit length(cm)and diameter of tomato fruit(cm)by up to 88%,101%and 83%,respectively,as compared to individual application of NP(T1).We conclude that the application of both types of VC in conjunction with NPK fertilization increased tomato yield characteristics(fruit length,diameter and yield)compared to individual applications of organic and inorganic fertilizers.(3)Vermicompost 1 combined with chemical fertilizer(T5)treatment effectively improved the nutritional quality of tomatoes such as protein,vitamin C,Ca,Mg,phosphorous and potassium contents were recorded as 89%,52%,55%,117%,38%,and 128%respectively,as compared to individual application of NP.We observed that the application of both types of VC in combination with NPK fertilization enhanced various the nutritional analysis of tomato fruit compared to individual application of organic and inorganic fertilizers.(4)The soil physio-chemical parameters of the post-harvest were improved in all the treatments,comapred with those parameters of before-harvest.The individual and combined application of different vermicompost types with NPK fertilization significantly improved different soil properties.However,the sole application of VC 1(T3)among different treatments yielded more significant outcomes than conventional fertilizers and their combined treatments.In terms of maximum improvement in organic matter contents(2.15%),N contents(0.147%),available P contents(2.50 mg kg-1),and exchangeable K(98.3 mg kg-1)were obtained under the application of VC1.Minimum physio-chemical parameters were found in the T1 treatment involving the sole application of NP fertilizers.It was concluded that the sole application of vermicompost yielded more significant out-comes than conventional fertilizers and their sole and combined treatments in improving soil characteristics. |
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