EFFECT OF COMPOST TEA, EFFECTIVE MICROORGANISM AND INORGANIC FERTILIZERS ON THE PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum mill) IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Numerous studies have demonstrated that compost tea and effective microorganisms (EM) can suppress soil salinity and improve crop productivity. However, the underlying mechanisms and combination rate of these technologies for the production of Tomato, the dominant vegetable crop grown in northern Ethiopia, was unclear. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the effectiveness of EM based compost and compost tea technologies application as compared to synthetic fertilizer on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) productivity and quality. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with seven treatments replicated three times. The treatments comprised Vermi- compost tea (200 l ha^-1), compost tea with effective microorganism (200 l ha^-1), compost tea without effective microorganisms (200 l ha^-1), Activated EM solution (200 l ha^-1) with EM compost (4 t ha^-1), inorganic fertilizer (DAP and urea) at 100 kg ha^-1 each, Ammonium sulfate (NH₄)₂SO₄ at the rate of 100 kg ha^-1 and control. Statistical analysis of variance was computed using Gen-Stat 14^th edition statistical software. The result of this study showed that EM compost with EM stock solution treated soils yielded the highest marketable tomato fruit yield (50.6 t ha^-1) and economic profit (22893.6 USD ha^-1). The lowest net return (11258.1 USD ha^-1) was recorded in the control plots. Hence, in order to get better yield and higher economic benefit from tomato production, the use of EM compost with EM stock is prominent. This could provide the best answer for ecological agriculture, which is synonymous with sustainable agriculture.