Tomato Growth in Soil Amended with Sugar Mill By-Products Compost |
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Authors: | Sompong Meunchang Supamard Panichsakpatana R W Weaver |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, 10900 Chatuchak Bangkok, Thailand;(2) Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, 77843-2474, USA |
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Abstract: | Sugar mill by-products compost may be a good soil amendment to promote tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) growth. In addition, the compost may further promote plant growth by inoculation with N2-fixing bacteria. Compost from sugar-mill waste was prepared with and without the N2-fixing bacteria, Azotobacter vinelandii, Beijerinckia derxii and Azospirillum sp. and incubated for 50 days. Each compost type was added to 10 kg of soil in pots at rates of 0, 15, and 45 g with and
without fertilizer N at rates of 0, 0.75, and 1.54 g. A blanket application of P and K was applied to all pots. Shoot and
root dry weights and N content of the whole plant was measured at 55 days. Dry weight of tomato shoots was increased by 40%
by addition of fertilizer N and root weight was increased by 66%. Without fertilizer N the high rate of inoculated compost
increased shoot growth 180% and uninoculated compost increased shoot growth 112%. For most treatments with and without fertilizer
N, inoculated compost enhanced shoot growth and nitrogen content more than uninoculated compost. Root weights were nearly
doubled by addition of either compost in comparison to the 0 N treatment. At the low rate of compost addition without fertilizer
N, root weight was the same for uninoculated and inoculated compost but at the high rate of compost addition root weight was
32% higher for inoculated compost. The N2-fixing bacteria colonized roots when inoculated compost was used. Sugar mill by-products compost proved to be an effective
soil amendment for promoting the growth of tomato plants. |
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Keywords: | biofertilizer compost nitrogen fixation PGPR sugar mill tomato |
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