Utilization of vermicompost in greenhouses to produce tomatoes and control for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici

Abstract

Two vermicomposts were evaluated –one obtained from bovine rumen contents, another from chicken-manure, as well as a third, based on dairy cattle manureto assess their effect on Sun 7705 variety tomato production, and on Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol). The substrates were individually mixed with tezontle sand at a ratio of 50/50 and then placed in 5-L, black plastic bags. Also, an absolute witness was made with tezontle sand at 100 %, with and without the inoculum of the fungus. Together they formed 8 treatments that were studied in a completely randomized experi- mental design with four replications. Each experimental unit consisted of four plants per treatment. The variables evaluated in toma- to cultivation showed significant between-treatment differences (p≤0.05). The highest production was obtained with the chicken manure vermicompost, which exceeded the rumen by 56 %, and surpassed the dairy cattle manu- re by 64 % (p≤0.05). Both height (r=0.87) and dry plant weight (r=0.82) correlated with the increase in tomato production. In the chicken manure vermicompost, the density of the inoculum of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici decreased by 62-to- 95 % with respect to the tezontle sand witness.