Abstract:
PurposeTo investigate the effect of vermicomposted kitchen, market and tea wastes on tomato growth and yield
and assess the benefits and costs that arise.
Method A field experiment arranged in the randomized complete block design with five experimental treatments:
vermicomposted kitchen, market, tea wastes, NPK fertilizer and a control, replicated thrice was conducted. Data
were collected on plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, number of flower stalks, fruit number, fruit
weight, above-ground biomass, marketable tomato yield, soil nutrient content, pH, texture and exchangeable acidity.
Data obtained
were analyzed
using SAS version
9.4 by subjecting to one-way Analysis
of Variance
(ANOVA).
Biophysical crop data means were separated using Tukey’s Studentized Range (HSD) test at p=0.05 significance
level. T-test was used to determine the difference in soil nutrient content (Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium
(K), and Carbon (C)) at the beginning and end of the study. The benefits and costs were analyzed using the benefit-cost
ratio
formula.
ResultsThe three vermicomposts had a similar effect (p>0.05) in influencing most of the tomato crop variables
such as plant height, leaves number, branch number and flower stalks number. Tea waste vermicompost and kitchen
waste
vermicompost
gave
significantly
high
tomato
yields
of
115
t
ha
-1
and 113 t ha
-1
at p=0.0001 as well as the
highest benefit-cost ratio of 1.4:1.
Conclusion Tea, market and kitchen wastes have a potential for use in the production of high-quality vermicompost
that can be used as a soil amendment to enhance tomato performance.
