Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: In 2022, an experiment was conducted at the Experiment Farm, Department of Horticulture, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, to explore tomato cultivation possibilities using soilless media in a naturally ventilated polyhouse. Employing a randomized block design with 5 treatments and 4 replications, various media compositions, including cocopeat, vermiculite, perlite, sand, and loam soil in different ratios, were tested. The study uncovered that optimal tomato growth occurred in Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1), showing maximum plant height (140.68 cm), primary branches (6.19), plant fresh weight (177.90 g), fruit weight (70.80 g), and a shorter time to flowering (42.5 days). This medium also resulted in higher residual N, P, K contents (2.58%, 2.51%, 2.64%, respectively) in the spent growing medium. Cocopeat: Sand: Vermicompost (5:2:3) yielded the highest plant dry weight (25.80 g), fruit set (48.24%), fruits/cluster (8.36), fruits/plant (71.74), yield/plant (4.88 kg), total yield (66.26 q/500sqm), and harvesting latitude (48.31 days). Meanwhile, Cocopeat: Vermiculite: Perlite (3:1:1) recorded the longest days to first harvest (83.75 days). Sand: Vermicompost (1:1) exhibited the highest chlorophyll content (2.50 mg/100 g), and fruit volume (73.10 cc), while Cocopeat: Vermicompost (1:1) had the maximum flowers per cluster (3.91). Economically, the analysis favored Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1) with a maximum benefit-cost ratio of 2.20. In conclusion, while Cocopeat: Sand: Vermicompost (5:2:3) seems optimal for growth and yield, the economic advantage lies with Loam soil: Sand: Vermicompost (1:1:1).
Authors: V. Kumari, A. Saikia, S. Gogoi, U. Kotoky, K. Das, S. Baishya, P. Boruah
Institution: Assam Agricultural University
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4401372227