Effects of vermicomposts produced from food waste on the growth and yields of greenhouse peppers.
Vermicomposts, produced commercially from food wastes, were substituted at a range of different concentrations into a soil-less commercial bedding plant container medium, Metro-Mix 360 (MM360), to evaluate their effects on the growth and yields of peppers in the greenhouse. Six-week-old peppers (Capsicum annum L. var. California) were transplanted into 100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, 20% or 10% MM360 substituted with 0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% vermicompost. All plants were watered three times weekly with 200 ppm Peter's Nutrient Solution from the time of transplanting up to 107 days. Peppers grown in potting mixtures containing 40% food waste vermicomposts and 60% MM360 yielded 45% more fruit weights and had 17% greater mean number of fruits than those grown in MM360 only. The mean heights, numbers of buds and numbers of flowers of peppers grown in potting mixtures containing 10-80% vermicompost although greater did not differ significantly from those of peppers grown in MM360. There were no positive correlations between the increases in pepper yields, and the amounts of mineral-N and microbial biomass-N in the potting mixtures, or the concentrations of nitrogen in the shoot tissues of peppers. Factors such as: an improvement of the physical structure of the potting medium, increases in populations of beneficial microorganisms and the potential availability of plant growth-influencing-substances produced by microorganisms in vermicomposts, could have contributed to the increased pepper yields obtained.
Arancon
Norman Q
NQ
Soil Ecology Laboratory, The Ohio State University, 400 Aronoff Laboratory, 318 W 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. arancon.1@osu.edu
Edwards
Clive A
CA
Atiyeh
Rola
R
Metzger
James D
JD
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002212:Capsicum / Q000254:growth & development*; D004780:Environment, Controlled; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D012987:Soil; D009584:Nitrogen