AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTREwww.arccjournals.com/www.ijarjournal.com

*Corresponding author’ e-mail: indira_sarangthem@yahoo.co.in

Indian J. Agric. Res., 49 (1) 2015: 13-23Print ISSN:0367-8245 / Online ISSN:0976-058X

doi:10.5958/0976-058X.2015.00002.5

Effect of boron and vermicompost on yield and quality of tomato (lycopersicanesculentum cv. Pusa ruby) in acid soils

Indira Sarangthem*, A. Haribushan and Jekendra Salam

Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry,College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University,Imphal-795 001, IndiaReceived: 28-09-2013 Accepted: 08-03-2014

ABSTRACTIt was observed from an experiment that application of vermicompost significantly influenced the yield, yield attributes andnutrient uptake of tomato. Vermicompost V3(20q/ha) and boron B1(Borax 10kg/ha) application found to be superior invitamin C content (16.5 -20.96 mg/100gm), lycopene (40.66-45.25mg/100gm) and sugar content (4.06%-4.27%) in thepooled mean data of two years, where as maximum dose of boron had influenced the highest uptake of boron by plant andavailable boron in soil but the yield was decreased. Among the combinations, minimum dose of boron and maximum dose ofvermicompost B1V3 was found to be superior in increasing the yield and quality of the tomato fruit, particularly the size,shape, colour, smoothness, the firmness, ascorbic acid, sugar content and also reduced fruit cracking. Low boron applicationand highest vermicompost i.e. B1V3 also increased the nutrient availability and carbon status in soil and highest boron uptakeby plant in both the years of experimentation. However, the application of highest boron and vermicompost (B3V3) alsoobserved the higher available boron in soil during the study period.

Key words: Ascorbic acid, Boron, Fruit, Lycopene, Tomato, Sugar, Vermicompost, Vitamin.

INTRODUCTIONTomato is one of the major vegetable crops

predominantly grown in the valley areas of Manipur bothunder irrigated and rainfed condition. Boron effect on tomatowere studied (Brown and Jones, 1972) and also effect oforganic matter on mineral uptake by tomato was studied byNishita, et al. (1956). There is a growing concern about thehealth and environmental hazards of chemical based intensiveagriculture. Excessive and inappropriate use of pesticides andfertilizers has led to contamination of food, water and fibrein several countries and thus, resulting in overall deteriorationin soil health and environmental quality. Excessive use andcontinuous increase in cost of fertilizers inspired the scientistto explore the possibilities to restrict the fertilizer use andway for economic. The significant role of organic manure inreplenishing soil fertility has been reported by many workers(Balyan and Seth 1985, Rao and Singh 1993). Organic basedfarming is ecologically oriented with sound economy and

eco-friendly sources of nutrients for a variety of crops.Keeping in view for better soil health, good environment andapproaching lowards eco-friendly environment,vermicompost which is an important source of organic matteris used for present investigation. Potentiality of vermicompostdue to presence of readily available plant nutrients, growthenhancing substances and number of beneficial micro-organisms like N fixing, P-Solubilising and Cellulosedecomposing organism (Sultan 1997). The response of tomatoto boron application in acid soil of Chotanagpur region wasreported by Prasad et al (1997). Application of FYM andinorganic fertilizer improves the available N,P,K, and organiccarbon content of the soil (Gill and Meelu 1980). Vermiculturetechnique improve the physico chemical properties of soil inthe form of mixing top soil, formation of soil aggregates,improvement of drainage, porosity and aeration. In the presentstudy emphasis on organic source is focus for health of soilenvironment and favourable ecosystem. Using organic source

14 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

of nutrients increased the nutrient status of the soil, potentialityof vermicompost and FYM increases the N,P2O5, K2O andmicro nutrient content (Reddy and Reddy 1998). Boronimproves growth, yield, quality and nutrient content of tomato,(Davis et al. 2003). Availability of molybdenum and boronis greatly influenced by soil characteristics like pH, EC, CEC,organic matter, particle size and free CaCo3 content. Borondeficiency in wide spread in soils of low soil pH, initial boronstatus of the experimental field is 0.0037mg/g with slightlyacidic, (PH5.2), EC(0.2ds/m), CEC[24Cmol (p+)/kg-1].Keeping in view the lack of information on this importantmicro nutrient and organic matter status and importance inthe acidic soils of Manipur Valley, the present study was undertaken.

MATERIALS AND METHODSIn the present investigation the effect of boron

nutrition and vermicompost use in the yield and quality oftomato, the experiment was laid out in factorial randomizedblock design in the rabi seasons of 2003, 2004 and 2005,with 16 nos. of treatment combination of Boron andvermicompost. Boron as borax were applied 0, 10, 15, 20 kgha-1 which is replicated in three nos. Boron as borax wasapplied prior to one month before transplanting of tomatoseedling. The initial studies of the soil has shown high inorganic carbon (2.8%), acidity in character with pH of 5.2,clay loam in texture deficient in boron (.0037 mg kg-1),medium in nitrogen (407.6 kg ha-1), phosphorus 25.6 kg ha-1

and potash 314.5 kg ha-1. The organic source, Vermicomposthas got nutrient content of nitrogen (1.11%), phosphorus(0.57%), Potash (0.78%) and boron (.0095 mg kg-1) wereapplied in four levels viz 0, 10, 15, 20 q ha-1. Ten plants ofeach plot of the experimental field were selected randomlyfor each treatment and their fruit weight, number of fruits perplant, fruit yield / plant and fruit yield q/ha were recorded.Determination of fruit quality, vitamin C and sugar contentwere carried out in Anthrone Method (Jayaraman 1981).Lycopene was measured by Biochemical Methods forAgricultural Sciences (Sudasiram and Manikam, 1991).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe effects of different treatments of boron and

Vermicompost on yield, fruit quality, nutrient uptake and soilfertility were statistically analysed and significance of theresult were discussed and presented in the Tables. The

application of vermicompost significantly increased thevitamin C content in tomato up to the fourth harvest ofexperimentation. The application of vermicompostsignificantly increased the vitamin C content in tomato up tothe fourth harvest of experimentation. In all theexperimentation, the vitamin C content was highest in fruitsfrom B0V3 application. There was significant increase in thevitamin C in fourth harvest compare to first harvest (13.17mg/100g to 16.17mg/100gm fresh fruits). From the data givenin Table 1, it is seen that there was significant influence ofboron on vitamin C content in fruits. Boron application (5kg/ha) i.e. B1V0 has got highest vitamin C content in fruit. Theascorbic acid content in fruit significantly increased from firstharvest, 17.67 mg per 100 g sample upto fourth harvest, 22.42mg per 100g sample with application of B1V3.

The data pertaining to the lycopene content in tomatoafter fruit harvest as influenced by different treatments arepresented in Table 2 and the application of vermicompostproved superior over control in lycopene content of tomato.The highest lycopene content in tomato was observed withB0V3 application during the whole period of experimentation.The application of boron proved superior over the control aswell as vermicompost application for lycopene content oftomato. Treatment B1V0 recorded the highest lycopenecontent in tomato which was followed by B2V0 and B3V0respectively. There was a significant increase in the lycopenecontent of tomato from first harvest (37.86 mg per 100 gsample) to fourth harvest (42.65 mg per 100 g sample) bythe application of B1V0.Application of B1V3 was observedthe highest lycopene content in tomato. The significantincrease in the lycopene content of tomato from the firstharvest (42.85 mg per 100 g sample) to the fourth harvest(47.84 mg per 100 g sample) in the plot receiving B1V3application. The total sugar content in fruits as influenced bydifferent treatments are presented in Table 3. Application ofvermicompost proved superior over control in total sugarcontent in fruits in all the experimentation. The highest sugarcontent (3.42%) was recorded by the application of B0V3 inthe third harvest whereas the lowest sugar content (2.33%)was observed with the application of B0V1 in the first harvest.Application of boron had a significant effect in the sugarcontent of tomato fruits in all the experimentation. There wassignificantly increased in the sugar content of tomato fruits

Vol. 49 Issue 1, 2015 15

TABL

E 2:

Effe

ct o

f ver

mic

ompo

st an

d bo

ron

on L

ycop

ene

cont

ent i

n to

mat

o (m

g pe

r 100

g)

Firs

t har

vest

S

econ

d ha

rves

t

Thi

rd h

arve

st

Fou

rth h

arve

stV

BV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

V0

V1

V2

V3

Mea

nV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

V0

V1

V2

V3

M

ean

B0

23.9

225

.80

26.6

227

.04

25.8

425

.80

28.2

929

.33

30.1

728

.39

27.2

529

.75

30.3

730

.99

29.5

928

.29

30.7

931

.62

32.0

430

.68

B1

37.8

640

.36

41.6

042

.85

40.6

640

.57

42.2

343

.47

44.9

442

.80

41.6

043

.47

44.7

346

.60

44.1

042

.65

44.7

345

.77

47.8

445

.24

B2

34.7

436

.82

37.8

640

.15

37.3

935

.36

37.8

639

.52

40.9

838

.43

36.6

139

.10

40.7

841

.60

39.5

237

.23

39.9

440

.98

43.4

740

.40

B3

30.1

731

.62

32.2

433

.49

31.8

830

.99

32.6

633

.49

35.9

933

.28

32.2

433

.07

34.1

237

.65

34.2

733

.28

33.7

034

.54

38.9

035

.10

Mea

n31

.67

33.6

534

.58

35.8

833

.94

33.1

835

.26

36.4

538

.02

35.7

234

.42

36.3

437

.50

39.2

136

.87

35.3

637

.29

38.2

340

.56

31.2

7

VB

V x

BV

BV

x B

VB

V x

BV

BV

x B

S.E

.(d) ±

0.13

0.13

0.26

0.12

0.12

0.25

0.14

0.14

0.27

0.15

0.15

0.30

C.D

5%

0.26

0.26

0.53

0.24

0.24

0.51

0.28

0.28

0.56

0.30

0.30

0.61

TABL

E 1:

Effe

ct o

f ver

mic

ompo

st an

d bo

ron

on v

itam

in C

con

tent

in to

mat

o (m

g pe

r 100

g)

Firs

t har

vest

seco

nd h

arve

st

Thi

rd h

arve

st

Fou

rth h

arve

stV

BV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

V0

V1

V2

V3

Mea

nV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

V0

V1

V2

V3

Mea

n

B0

11.1

711

.58

12.0

013

.17

11.9

811

.92

12.5

012

.83

14.1

712

.85

12.5

813

.25

13.8

315

.33

13.7

513

.08

14.2

514

.67

16.1

7

1

4.54

B1

15.5

816

.08

16.6

717

.67

16.5

016

.67

17.5

018

.58

20.0

018

.19

17.9

218

.92

20.0

821

.08

19.5

019

.33

20.5

821

.50

22.4

2

20

.96

B2

14.3

315

.42

16.0

016

.42

15.5

414

.67

16.0

816

.58

17.4

216

.19

15.3

317

.08

17.7

518

.42

17.1

415

.83

17.7

518

.58

19.3

3

17

.87

B3

11.6

612

.83

13.4

214

.25

13.0

412

.08

13.1

714

.08

15.0

813

.60

13.1

713

.75

14.6

715

.58

14.2

913

.17

14.4

215

.50

16.1

7

14

.81

Mea

n13

.18

13.9

714

.52

15.3

714

.26

13.8

314

.81

15.5

216

.67

15.2

114

.75

15.7

516

.58

17.6

016

.17

15.3

516

.75

17.5

618

.52

17.

04V

BV

x B

VB

V x

BV

BV

x B

VB

V x

BS.

E (d

) ±0.

070.

070.

150.

090.

090.

180.

090.

090.

180.

070.

07

0.1

4C

.D 5

%0.

140.

140.

300.

180.

180.

370.

180.

180.

370.

140.

140.

28

16 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

TABL

E 3:

Effe

ct o

f ver

mic

ompo

st an

d bo

ron

on T

otal

sug

ar c

onte

nt in

tom

ato

(per

cent

age)

Fi

rst h

arve

st

S

econ

d ha

rves

t

Third

har

vest

F

ourth

har

vest

VB

V0

V1

V2

V3

Mea

nV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

V0

V1

V2

V3

Mea

nV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

B0

2.00

2.33

2.67

2.75

2.43

2.17

2.67

2.92

3.00

2.69

2.50

2.92

3.17

3.42

3.00

2.17

2.67

2.83

3.08

2.68

B1

3.83

4.00

4.17

4.25

4.06

4.08

4.17

4.58

4.75

4.39

4.42

4.58

4.92

5.00

4.73

3.83

4.08

4.42

4.75

4.27

B2

3.08

3.42

3.58

3.92

3.50

3.25

3.83

3.92

4.17

3.79

3.83

4.08

4.17

4.58

4.16

3.08

3.17

3.58

3.92

3.43

B3

2.67

2.92

3.08

3.25

2.98

2.58

3.17

3.42

3.75

3.23

2.50

3.58

3.83

4.00

3.47

2.00

3.08

3.42

3.83

3.08

Mea

n2.

893.

163.

373.

543.

243.

023.

463.

713.

913.

523.

313.

794.

024.

253.

842.

773.

253.

563.

893.

36V

BV

x B

VB

V x

BV

BV

x B

V

B

V x

BS.

E.(d

) ±0.

070.

070.

150.

070.

070.

140.

070.

070.

140.

070.

070.

14C

.D 5

%0.

140.

140.

300.

140.

140.

280.

140.

140.

280.

140.

140.

28

from first harvest (3.83%) to third harvest (4.42%) by theapplication of B1V0 but after the third harvest, the sugarcontent was decreased to (3.83%) in the fourth harvest.

The result pertaining to the available boron in thesoil as affected by vermicompost and boron treatments intomato are presented in Table 4. The application of B0V3,i.e., 20 q ha-1 of vermicompost produced the maximumavailable boron in soil (0.045 ppm in the first year and 0.048ppm in the second year) followed by B0V2 and B0V1application in both the years. The application of boron had asignificant effect on the available boron in soil in both theyears of experimentation. In the present study (pooled meananalysis), the application of B3V0, i.e., 20 kg ha-1 of boron(borax) was found to possess the highest (1.024 ppm in thefirst year, 1.027 ppm in the second year and 1.025 ppm in thepooled mean analysis) available boron in soil followed byB0V2 and B0V1 application. The interaction betweenvermicompost and boron had a significant effect on theavailable boron in soil in both the years. In both the years,the application of B3V3 was recorded the highest (2.319 ppmin the first year and 2.320 ppm in the second year) availableboron in the soil whereas the lowest (1.069 ppm in the firstyear and 1.070 ppm in the second year) available boron insoil was recorded by the application of B1V1. Similar trendwas observed in the pooled mean analysis. Boron uptake byplant as influenced by different treatments are presented inTable 4.1. The application of vermicompost had a significanteffect on boron uptake by plant in both the years and also inpooled analysis. The result revealed that the application ofvermicompost brought out a significant increase on boronuptake by plant. The lowest B uptake by plant was observedby the application of B0V1 in both the years ofexperimentation (i.e. 8.97 kg/ha in first year and 9.92 kg/hain second year experiment) and pooled mean data analysiswhereas, the highest B uptake by plant was observed due tothe application of B0V3 in both the years (24.01 kg/ha infirst year experiment and 27.45 kg/ha in second yearexperiment). During the first year experiment, B uptake byplant was recorded the highest (135.48 kg/ha) with theapplication of B3V0 whereas; the lowest uptake of B by plant(21.57 kg/ha) was observed due to the application of B1V0.In the second year, application of B3V0 obtain the highest Buptake by plant (161.81 kg/ha) whereas, the lowest B uptake

Vol. 49 Issue 1, 2015 17

TABL

E 4:

Effe

ct o

f ver

mic

ompo

st an

d bo

ron

on a

vaila

ble

boro

n (p

pm)

in s

oil.

Year

20

03-2

004

200

4-20

05

P

oole

dV

BV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

V0

V1

V2

V3

Mea

nV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

B0

0.03

40.

039

0.04

20.

045

0.04

00.

035

0.04

10.

044

0.04

80.

042

0.03

40.

040

0.04

30.

046

0.

041

B1

0.42

01.

069

1.08

81.

159

0.93

40.

425

1.07

01.

090

1.15

90.

936

0.42

21.

070

1.08

91.

159

0.

935

B2

0.66

61.

359

1.51

51.

828

1.34

20.

670

1.36

01.

517

1.83

01.

344

0.66

81.

360

1.51

61.

829

1.

343

B3

1.02

42.

140

2.22

12.

319

1.92

61.

027

2.14

12.

222

2.32

01.

927

1.02

52.

141

2.22

12.

320

1.

926

Mea

n0.

536

1.15

21.

216

1.33

81.

060

0.53

91.

153

1.21

81.

339

1.06

20.

537

1.15

31.

217

1.33

9

1.06

1V

BV

X B

VB

V X

BV

B

V X

BS.

E (d

)±0.

0002

0.00

020.

0004

0.00

090.

0000

90.

0002

0.00

009

0.00

009

0.00

02C

.D. 5

%0.

0004

0.00

040.

0008

0.00

020.

0002

0.00

040.

0002

0.00

020.

0004

by plant (25.62 kg/ha) was recorded with the application ofB1V0. Similar trend was observed in the pooled mean data.The application of vermicompost in combination withboron had a significant effect on the B uptake by plant inboth the years and also in pooled mean data analysis. Inthe first year, the highest B uptake by plant (274.53 kg/ha) was recorded with the application of B1V3 whereas;the lowest uptake of B by plant (84.96 kg/ha) was observeddue to the application B1V1. In the second year, the highestB uptake by plant (329.33 kg/ha) was also recorded withB1V3 application whereas; the lowest uptake of B by plant(96.85 kg/ha) was also observed due to the application ofB1V1. Similar trend was observed in the pooled mean dataanalysis also.

Effect of boron and vermicompost on number of days offirst ripening: There was significant effect of boron on thenumber of days of first ripening in both the years ofexperimentation. The lowest number of days to first ripeningwas recorded with the application of B1V0 i.e. 112.67 days infirst year and 104.67 days in second year whereas the highestnumber of days to first ripening was recorded with theapplication of B3V0 in both the years i.e. 126.67 days in firstyear and 126.33 days in second year. The number of days offirst ripening was significantly influenced by the differenttreatments are presented in Table 4.2.

Interaction effect: Interaction between vermicompost andboron had a significant effect on the number of days to firstripening in both the years and also in pooled mean dataanalysis. Application of B1V3 was found to posses the lowestnumber of days to first ripening i.e. 99.00 days in first yearand 93.00 days in second yea overall the other treatments.The highest number of days to first ripening was recorded inB3V1 application in both the years of experimentation i.e.123.67 days in first year and 125.33 days in second year.Among 16 treatments, the highest number of days to firstripening was recorded in B3V0 application, i.e. 126.67 daysin first year and 126.33 days in second year. Similar trendwas observed in the pooled mean data analysis.

Effect of vermicompost and boron on number of fruitsper plant: Data on number of fruits per plants recorded atharvest during 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 and their pooledmean values are presented in Table 4.3. The number of fruitsper plant was significantly influenced by the different doses

18 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

TABL

E 4.

2: E

ffect

of v

erm

icom

post

and

boro

n on

num

ber o

f day

s to

firs

t rip

enin

g

TABL

E 4.

1: E

ffect

of v

erm

icom

post

and

boro

n on

bor

on u

ptak

e by

pla

nt (p

pm).

Year

2

003-

2004

200

4-20

05

Po

oled

VB

V0

V1

V2

V3

Mea

nV

0V

1V

2V

3M

ean

V0

V1

V2

V3

Mea

nB

00.

020.

040.

060.

080.

050.

020.

040.

060.

090.

050.

020.

040.

060.

09

0.05

B1

0.10

0.30

0.52

0.83

0.44

0.11

0.31

0.56

0.85

0.45

0.10

0.31

0.53

0.84

0.

44B

20.

300.

340.

560.

890.

520.

310.

350.

590.

900.

540.

300.

350.

580.

90

0.53

B3

0.82

1.03

1.16

1.23

1.06

0.85

1.11

1.18

1.26

1.10

0.83

1.07

1.17

1.24

1.

08M

ean

0.31

0.43

0.57

0.76

0.52

0.32

0.45

0.59

0.77

0.53

0.31

0.44

0.58

0.77

0.

52V

BV

X B

VB

V X

BV

BV

X B

S.E

(d)±

0.00

40.

004

0.00

80.

002

0.00

20.

005

0.00

20.

002

0.00

5C

.D. 5

%0.

008

0.00

80.

020.

004

0.00

40.

010.

004

0.00

40.

01

Vol. 49 Issue 1, 2015 19

TABL

E 4.

3: E

ffect

of v

erm

icom

post

and

boro

n on

num

ber o

f fru

it/pl

ant

of vermicompost in both the years and in the pooled meandata analysis. In both the years, maximum number of fruitsper plant was recorded with the application of B0V3 i.e. 27.63fruits/plant in first year and 35.73 fruits/plant in second yearwhereas the lowest number of fruits per plant was observedwith the application of B0V1i.e. 24.93 fruits/plant in first yearand 28.33 fruits/plant in second year. The similar trend wasobserved in the pooled mean data analysis. The applicationof boron had a significant effect on the number of fruits perplant in both the years. The number of fruit per plant wasrecorded highest with the application of B1V0 whereas thelowest number of fruit per plant was observed with theapplication B3V0 in both the years. There was significantchange on the number of fruits per plant due to interactionbetween vermicompost and boron in both the years. Thehighest number of fruits per plant was recorded with theapplication of B1V3 in both the year i.e. 30.47 fruits/plant infirst year and 42.70 fruits/plant in second year whereas thelowest number of fruits per plant was observed with theapplication of B3V1 among the interaction effect in both theyears i.e. 22.13 fruits/plant in first year and 24.23 fruits/plantin second year. Among all the 16 treatments, the lowestnumber of fruits per plants was observed in B0V0 (control) inboth the years of experimentation, i.e., 18.67 in first year and20.20 in second year.

Effect of vermicompost and boron on fruit weight (g):Data on fruit weight per plant in both the years ofexperimentation as influenced by different treatments andtheir pooled analysis data are presented in Table 4.4. Differentdoses of vermicompost significantly influenced the fruitweight per plant in both the years of experimentation andalso in the pooled mean data analysis. In the first yearexperiment (2003-2004), the highest fruit weight per plant(34.93 g) was observed with the application of B0V3 followedby B0V2 and B0V1, respectively. Similarly, in the second yearexperiment (2004-2005), the highest fruit weight per plant(40.65 g) was observed with the application of B0V3 followedby B0V2 and B0V1 respectively. The data revealed that thefruit weight per plant of tomato was higher during the secondyear (2004-2005) as compared to the first year (2003-2004).The similar trends of findings were observed in the pooledmean data analysis of the two years. The application of boronhad a significant effect on the fruit weight per plant in both

20 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

TAB

LE 4

.4: E

ffect

of v

erm

icom

post

and

bor

on o

n nu

mbe

r of

frui

t wei

ght (

g)

the years of experimentation. In the first year (2003-2004),the data showed that B1V0 application gave the highest fruitweight per plant (31.54 g) whereas in the second yearexperiment (2004-2005), the highest fruit weight per plant(38.74 g) was also observed with the application of B1V0

followed by B2V0 and B3V0 respectively. The data revealedthat the fruit weight per plant was higher during the secondyear (2004-2005) as compared to that of first year (2003-2004).

Interaction effect: The interaction between vermicompostand boron produced a significant effect on the fruit weightper plant in both the years and also in pooled mean dataanalysis. In both the years, the data showed that B1V3

replication gave the highest fruit weight per plant. Similartrend was observed in the pooled mean data analysis.

Effect of vermicompost on yield per plant (g): Data onyield per plant in both the years as influenced by differenttreatments and their pooled analysis data are presented inTable 4.5. The application of vermicompost significantlyinfluenced the yield per plant in both the years ofexperimentation and also in pooled mean data analysis. Inthe first year experiment (2003-2004), the highest yield perplant (912.51 g) was recorded due to the application ofmaximum dose of vermicompost, i.e., B0V3. The applicationof minimum dose of vermicompost, i.e., B0V1 gave the lowestyield per plant (680.44 g). In the second year experiment(2004-2005) also, the yield per plant was the highest whenthe crop was fertilized with maximum dose of vermicompost(1290.09 g) whereas lowest yield per plant (864.75 g) wasrecorded due to the application of minimum dose ofvermicompost, i.e. B0V1. The data revealed that the yield perplant of tomato was higher during the second year (2004-2005) as compared to that of first year (2003-2004). Similartrend of findings was observed in the pooled mean dataanalysis. The application of minimum dose of boron, i.e. B1V0

was recorded the highest yield per plant in both the year ofexperimentation and pooled mean data analysis, i.e. 686.94g in the first year (2003-2004), 686.56 g in the second year(2004-2005) and 777.75 g in the pooled mean analysis. Thelowest yield per plant was recorded due to the application ofmaximum dose of boron, i.e., B3V0 in both the years ofexperimentation and pooled mean data analysis.

Vol. 49 Issue 1, 2015 21

TABL

E 4.

5: E

ffect

of v

erm

icom

post

and

boro

n on

yie

ld p

er p

lant

(g)

Interaction effect: The interaction between vermicompostand boron produced a significant effect on the yield per plantin both the years and also in pooled mean data analysis. Inthe first year (2003-2004) application of minimum dose ofboron with maximum dose of vermicompost, i.e., B1V3 gavethe highest yield per plant (1032.96 g) followed by B1V2

application (936.79 g). The application of maximum dose ofboron with minimum dose of vermicompost, i.e., B3V1 gavethe lowest yield per plant (610.82 g). In the second year (2004-2005) also, application of minimum dose of boron withmaximum dose of vermicompost, i.e., B1V3 gave the highestyield per plant (1541.38 g) followed by the application ofB1V2 (1330.47 g). The application of maximum dose of boronwith minimum dose of vermicompost, i.e., B3V1 gave thelowest yield per plant (627.81 g). In the pooled mean dataanalysis, the highest yield per plant (1287.17 g) was obtaineddue to the application of minimum dose of boron withmaximum dose of vermicompost, i.e., B1V3. The lowest yieldper plant (619.31 g) was obtained due to the application ofmaximum dose of boron with minimum dose ofvermicompost, i.e., B3V1.

Effect of vermicompost and boron on yield (q ha-1): Dataon yield in both the years of experimentation as influencedby different treatments and their pooled analysis data arepresented in Table 4.6. Different doses of vermicompostsignificantly influenced the yield in both the years ofexperimentation and in the pooled mean data analysis. In thefirst year experiment (2003-2004), the highest yield (260.05q ha-1) was observed with B0V3 application followed by B0V2

and B0V1, respectively. In the second year experiment (2004-2005), the highest yield (423.98 q ha -1) was recorded withthe application of B0V3. The data revealed that the yield oftomato was higher during the second year (2004-2005) ascompared to that of first year (2003-2004). The applicationof boron had a significant effect on the yield of tomato inboth the years of experimentation. In the first year experiment(2003-2004), the highest yield (172.44 q ha -1) was observedwith the application of B1V0. In the second year experiment(2004-2005), the highest yield (260.19 q ha -1) was observedwith the application B1V0 followed by B2V0 and B3V0,respectively. The data revealed that the yield of tomato washigher during the second year (2004-2005) as compared tothat of first year (2003-2004). The similar trend of findingswas observed in the pooled mean data analysis.

22 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

TABL

E 4.

6: E

ffect

of v

erm

icom

post

and

boro

n on

yie

ld (q

per

ha)

Interaction effect: The interaction between vermicompostand boron produced a significant effect on the yield of tomatoin both the years and also in pooled mean data analysis. Inboth the years, the highest yield of tomato was recorded(305.45 qha-1 in the first year and 498.96 q ha-1 in the secondyear) with the application of B1V3 and the lowest yield wasobserved (159.20 q ha-1 in the first year and 198.30 q ha-1 inthe second year) with the application of B3V1. Similar trendwas observed in the pooled mean data analysis.

CONCLUSIONFrom the above findings it can be concluded that

vermicompost and boron plays a pivotal role in the earliness,yield, fruit quality, nutrient content and uptake by plant. Amongthe different levels of vermicompost, the maximum level ofvermicompost (20 q V ha-1) without boron was found to be thebest in increasing the yield and fruit quality of tomato. Similarlyamong the different level of boron, the minimum level of boron(10 kg B ha-1) without vermicompost was also found to possessthe best in increasing the yield and fruit quality of tomato (cv.Pusa Ruby) for the acidic clay soil of Manipur. The interactionbetween B1V3 applications proved superior over the othertreatments in increasing the yield, fruit quality (vitamin C,lycopene and total sugar content). Moreover the application ofB1V3 increases the availability of N, P, K and organic carbon,which exerts positive effect on growth, development, yield andfruit quality (vitamin C, lycopene and total sugar content) oftomato. From the data obtained in the present study, it can beconcluded that the application of vermicompost and borontogether at 20 q V ha-1 and 10 kg B ha-1, respectively may bebeneficial for earliness, better yield, better quality (vitamin C,lycopene and total sugar content) and better fertility of soil. Thevermicompost and boron can be used as an effective andsubstitute for highly priced chemical fertilizer like urea, SSP,MOP in acidic soils of Manipur, which not only supplies essentialelements to plants but also improves physico-chemical andbiological properties of soil. The continuous use of inorganicfertilizer resulted in a gradual decrease in crop production andnutrient imbalance in soil and create an adverse effect on soilphysico-chemical properties. Therefore, regular application ofvermicompost is a sound practice for maintaining the soil fertilityand application of boron resulted in early flowering, ripening,increased number of fruits per plant, heavier fruit weight,increased vitamin. C, lycopene, total sugar content of tomatoand reduced fruit cracking.

Vol. 49 Issue 1, 2015 23

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