Performance of <i>Glomus clarum</i> and <i>Tithonia diversifolia</i> compost in improving growth and yield of tomato (<i>Lycopersicum esculentum</i> Mill)

Abstract

Screen house experiments were conducted at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan, on a sandy loam soil in two years, to assess the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus clarum) and compost (sunflower) on the growth and yield of tomato plants. The experimental design was laid out in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with nine treatments replicated three times. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Compost (CMP) were applied into 8 kg soil each at the levels of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10 tonnes/ha each (2.5 g, 5.0 g, 7.5 g and 10 g respectively), while the control had 0 tonnes /ha (0 g). Results showed that plants treated with 5.0 tonnes/ha AMF produced highest cumulative weight of harvested fruits per plant and number of fruits per plant which were significantly higher (P<0.05) than other treatments. Application of 2.5 tonnes/ha CMP significantly (P<0.05) produced the highest number of tomato leaves per plant, while the highest number of flowers per plant was significantly higher for 7.5 tonnes/ha CMP. The tallest plants and plants with highest number of branches were also recorded for 5.0 tonnes/ha AMF. This study showed that 5.0 tonnes/ha is the optimum level of AMF required for the cultivation of tomato plant which could have arisen from optimum uptake of phosphorus in the soil.

Keywords: Compost, Glomus clarum, fertility, tomato, yield