The Role of Composting and Vermicomposting with Biochar in Nutrient Uptake and Plant Growth of Tomato and Jew’s Mallow Grown on Calcareous Sandy Soil | ||||
| Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences | ||||
| Volume 56, Issue 1, January 2025, Page 241-260 PDF (651.7 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ajas.2025.317961.1399 | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
Al-Shaimaa M. Faried  ; Hashem M. Mohamed; Salah M. Mahmoud; Mahmoud M. El-Dsouky; Adel R.A. Usman
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| Department of Soil and Water, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Amending soils with biochar and vermicompost receive great attention in agriculture as it has the potential to provide multiple benefits for improving soil properties and thus enhancing plant growth and yield. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the influence of vermicompost (VCOM) and vermicompost produced in the presence of biochar (VCOM-BC) on nutrient uptake, and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L) growth as well as the residual effect of treatments on Jew’s mallow (Corchorus Olitorius L). A pot experiment included five treatments; 1) Compost (COM), 2) Compost produced in the presence of biochar (COM-BC), 3) Vermicompost (VCOM), 4) Vermicompost produced in the presence of biochar (VCOM-BC), and 5) Control. The results showed that organic amendments had a positive impact on root and shoot fresh and dry weight of tomato plants. The maximum dry matter (2.90 g/plant) was produced in VCOM treatment followed by VCOM-BC treatment (2.27 g/plant), which was higher than control soil by 5.1 and 4 folds, respectively. The root dry weight of tomato plants increased significantly when grown in soil treated with organic amendments except for COM-BC, with the maximum root dry weight found in tomato plants grown in VCOM treatment followed by VCOM-BC. Applying organic amendments led also to a significantly higher increase in fresh and dry weights of Jew’s mallow shoots and roots compared to the control soil, with no significant differences between most organic amendments. In most cases, VCOM and/or VCOM-BC showed the highest increases in nutrient (NPK) uptake. Therefore, the application of vermicompost or biochar-amended vermicompost could be an effective nutrient management strategy for tomato and Jew’s mallow in Egypt's newly reclaimed calcareous soils. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Arid soils; Biochar; Nutrition status; Soil amendments; Worm composting | ||||
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