Tomato Research Article
Tomato Research Article
Tomato Research Article
ABSTRACT: Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of integrated use of
chemical and organic fertilizers on growth and fruit yield of tomato in Kabba College of
Agriculture. The experiment involved five treatments which are as follows: 125kh/ha
NPK+3t/ha poultry manure, 125kg/ha NPK+3t/ha cow dung, 125kg/ha NPK+3t/ha kitchen
waste, 125kg/ha NPK 15:15:15 and Control. The treatments were laid out in a Randomized
Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated four times. The parameters taken on soil
chemical properties are soil pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and soil organic matter.
Growth and yield parameters taken are as follows: plant height (cm), number of leaves, and
stem girth (cm), number of fruit per plant, fruit length (cm), fruit diameter (cm) and yield per
land area (kg/ha). Result obtained from parameters studied (Plant height, leaf numbers, branch
number, stem girth, fruit number per plant and fruits weight) revealed that tomato performed
better (P<0.05) with the application of 125kg/ha NPK+3t/ha poultry manure application. The
also, study showed that use of inorganic and organic fertilizer had better effects on growth and
yield of tomato. Therefore, for good yield and better productivity of tomato, a combination of
125kg/ha NPK fertilizer + 3t/ha poultry waste is recommended for tomato production in the
study area.
KEYWORDS: Tomato, Growth, Yield, Organic, Inorganic, Fertilizer
INTRODUCTION
Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is one of the most important vegetables grown for their
edible fruits. Tomato is cultivated in Nigeria with an annual production of six million tonnes
(Idah et al., 2007). Tomato is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which
help control cancer, health disease as well as improve the general health of man (Antonio et
al., 2004).
Most soils in Africa are poor compared with other parts of the world (Bationo et al, 2006).
African soil nutrient balances are often negative due to a low level of fertilizer inputs, and soil
nutrient depletion is a major reason for decreasing or stagnation of agricultural productivity
(Sanchez, 1997. Mbah (2006) asserts that soil fertility is a major overriding constraint that
affects all aspects of crop production. As is the case in other regions in Africa, local farmers
use inadequate nutrient inputs, inappropriate quality and inefficient combinations of fertilizers,
which in the end prove to be very costly (Palm, 1997). A consequence of this trend is a deeply
unbalanced soil nutrient composition that ultimately leads to a reduction in crop yield potential
(Tonfack et al., 2009). Nutrients, when in adequate quantity, increases fruit quality, fruit size,
colour, and fruit taste of tomato (Azad, 2000). It also helps in increasing desirable acidic
flavour.
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Tomato production cuts across Nigeria’s geo-political zones and generates income to the
farmers, but the production system is on a low scale in southern guinea savannah, due to
improper fertilizer usage which lead increases soil acidity (Lombin, 1987) and Cheezy and
Yayock (1989). The use of organic manure alone is faced with problems of bulkiness and dirt.
A balanced use of organic and inorganic fertilizers could enhance soil chemical, physical, and
biological properties as well as rate of nutrient turn over within the soil-plant system (Paul and
Mannan, 2006). Combined use of organic and Inorganic fertilizer reduced cost and amount of
fertilizer required by crops (Krupnik et al., 2004). It also produced highest plant growth (Alam,
2006). In vegetable production, organic fertilizer combined with inorganic has proved to be
effective in combating nematodes (Olatunji et al., 2012).
The high cost of tomato in the Nigerian market justifies that the production is far lower than
the demand. If proper nutrient management is adapted by the tomato producer, the production
will certainly goes up to meet the demand. This study was therefore designed to evaluate the
effect of integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizer on growth and yield of tomato in
Kabba, Southern Guinea Savanna agro-ecology of Nigeria.
Field methods
An experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three
replications to investigate the effect combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizer on growth
and yield of tomato. The experiments comprised of five treatments were as follows: T1:
125kg/ha NPK + 3 t/ha Poultry manure, T2: 125kg/ha NPK + 3t/ha cow dung, T3: 125kg/ha
NPK + 3t/ha kitchen waste, T4: 250kg/ha NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer, T5: NO NPK, NO organic
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European Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research
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residues (Control). The treatments were carried out on the same plots in 2011 and 2012 growing
seasons.
In the nursery, Seeds of tomato hybrid (ROMA V) were sown on a flat bed for one month
before transplanting to the field. Sites were cleared manually using cutlass and later ridged with
hoes. Organic manure were uniformly spread on the flat beds and incorporated with hoes two
weeks before transplanting. NPK fertilizer was applied at transplanting. The seedlings were
transplanting at the rate of one-plant-per-hole at a spacing of 75cm by 50cm which make up
twenty-one stands per plot. Plots were weeded manually at three weeks interval.
Data analysis
All data collected were analyze using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) using general linear
model procedure of the statistical analysis system (SAS Institute, 2003) and means were
compared using Duncan Multiple Range Test at p = 0.05 probability level (Steel and Torres,
1987).
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Particle size %
Sand 730.0
Clay 70.0
Silt 200.0
Soil texture Sand loam
pH(H2O) 6.0
Total N(g/100g) 0.09
Available P(mg/kg) 2.2
Exchangeable cations Cmol/kg
K 0.32
Ca 2.48
Mg 3.61
Organic carbon(g/100g) 1.25
Organic matter(g/100g) 1.45
Effect of Combined use of NPK fertilizer and Organic residue on growth characters of
Tomato
From the results observed at four weeks after transplanting, plant height, number of branches,
number of leaves produced, and the stem girth of the crops were significantly affected by the
treatments. There were no significant differences in terms of plant height among the treatments
of 125kg/ha + 3t/ha poultry manure, 125kg/ha NPK + 3t/ha cow dung, 125kg/ha NPK + 3t/ha
kitchen waste and 250 kg/ha NPK fertilizer, although all these treatments were significantly
better in terms of plant height than the control. The highest mean value of plant height was
observed in 125kg/ha NPK + 3t/ha poultry manure, while the lowest mean value was observed
in the unamend plot.
The number of branches in the plants was significantly affected by the treatment applied. The
highest branches were observed in the plot with 125 kg/ha NPK + 3t/ha poultry manure. This
was significantly better than plots with 250 kg/ha NPK, however the unamend plot recorded
the least value of branches. Leaves were better produced in the plot with 125kg/ha NPK + 3t/ha
poultry manure (29.4 leaves). This was significantly better than the plots with cow dung,
kitchen waste at 3t/ha + NPK fertilizer, plot with 250kg/ha NPK and the control. However,
unamend plots recorded the least values of leaves produced. Stem girth was better in the plot
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with 125kg/ha + 3t/ha poultry manure and the plot with sole application of NPK fertilizer at
250 kg/ha. However, the stem girth of the plants with 125kg/ha NPK + kitchen waste, 250kg/ha
NPK fertilizer alone and the control were not significantly different.
The better performance of crops with NPK fertilizer combined with poultry manure in all the
growth characters observed infers that the plant response to NPK fertilizer and poultry manure
which agrees with earlier finding of Olatunji and Oboh (2012). They reported increase in
growth and yield of tomato with combined use of organic and mineral fertilizer. The finding in
this experiment also corroborated the findings of Li and Mahler (1995) who obtained better
vegetative development in wheat, most especially when soil was amended with inorganic and
organic materials of low C:N ratio.
In a column, figures bearing same letter(s) do not differ significantly at 5% level of probability
by DMRT. NPK (NPK fertilizer), PTY (poultry manure), CWD (cow dung), KTW (kitchen
wastes).
Effects of NPK and organic residues on soil and leaf nutrient of tomato
Table 3 shows the effect of application of organic residues and NPK fertilizer on soil and leaf
nutrients of tomato. Soil N, P, and K were significantly affected. Plot with 125kg/ha NPK +
poultry manure (3t/ha) had the highest value of soil nutrients. However, this was not
significantly better than plot with 125kg/ha NPK + 3t/ha kitchen waste. Soil K was highest in
plot with 125kg/ha NPK + 3t/ha cow dung, and was significantly better than plots with
125kg/ha + poultry waste (3t/ha), 250kg/ha sole application of NPK fertilizer and unamend
plot (control). Soil P was not significantly affected by the treatment at 5% probability level.
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Table 3 also presents the effect of combined use of organic waste and NPK fertilizer levels on
leaf N, P, and K. This result shows that leaf P only was significantly affected by the treatment
application. Though leaf nitrogen was not affected significantly, its highest value was observed
in plot with poultry manure. Leaf nutrients (N and P) improved with the application of organic
residues combined with NPK fertilizer. The finding agrees with the findings of Ogundare
(2011) who investigated on effect of combined use of organic and inorganic manure on leaf
nutrient of maize. The increase could be attributed to the influx of nitrogen and phosphorus
from both organic and inorganic sources to the crop.
Table 4: Soil and Tomato leaf nutrient as affected by combine use of organic and
Inorganic fertilizer (mean of 2011 and 2012)
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Table 5: Effect of the combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizer on the yield
characters of tomatoes (mean of 2011 and 2012)
Treatment Number of Fruit yield per Fruit yield per Yield (t/ha)
fruits per plant plot (kg) plot (kg)
In a column, figures bearing same letter(s) do not differ significantly at 5% level of probability
by DMRT. NPK (NPK fertilizer), PTY (poultry manure), CWD (cow dung), KTW (kitchen
wastes).
CONCLUSION
The study showed that use of inorganic and organic fertilizer had better effects on growth and
yield of tomato. Also, a combination of 125kg/ha NPK fertilizer + 3t/ha poultry waste perform
best among the combination of treatment applied.
RECOMMENDATIONS
For good yield and better productivity of tomato, a combination of 125kg/ha NPK fertilizer +
3t/ha poultry waste is recommended for tomato production in the study area.
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