BIBLIOGRAPHY MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER...
BIBLIOGRAPHY
MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012. Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio)
Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected Environment. Benguet State University, La
Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Jose G. Balaoing, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT
Performance of cabbage (var. Scorpio) applied with vernicompost under protected
environment was conducted at the BSU Organic Demonstration Farm, Benguet State
University, La Trinidad, Benguet from November 2011 to March 2012. Specifically, the
study was conducted to: determine the best rate of vermicompost on the growth of cabbage
(var. Scorpio) under protected environment, determine the best rate of vermicompost
application on the yield of cabbage (var. Scorpio), determine the effect of vermicompost
on some physical and chemical properties of the soil, and determine the economic benefit
of growing cabbage (var. Scorpio) grown in soils applied with vermicompost under
protected environment.
The dry matter yield (DMY), solidity and yield of cabbage (var. Scorpio) were
improved by different rates of vermicompost application under protected environment.
The application of different rates of vermicompost influenced some physical and
properties of the soil studied. Application of 10 to 25 tons ha-1 significantly increased the
water holding capacity (WHC), porosity of the soil and decreased the bulk density.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
On the other hand, the pH, OM and N contents of the soil were influenced by
vermicompost application. Higher pH values of the soil were obtained from the application
of 10 to 25 tons ha-1 vermicompost. The OM and N contents were highest in soil applied
with 25 tons of vermicompost ha-1.
Increasing the amount of vermicompost showed economic benefit when cabbage
(var. Scorpio) was grown under protected environment.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Agronomic Parameters
Dry matter yield.Application of different rates of vermicompost affected the dry matter
yield (DMY) as shown in Table 1. Application of 10, 15, 20 and 25 tons ha-1vermicompost
influenced the dry matter yield which had increase of 41.30%, 38.32, 96.92% and 79.42%,
respectively over the control. Application of 20 tons ha-1registered the highest dry matter
yield but not significantly different with 25 tons ha-1. The control registered the lowest dry
matter yield of 29.25%.
According to Patel et al. (1994) dry matter yield was increased and crude fiber
contents were decreased with increased vermicompostapplication. Increased rate of
vermicompostincreased the protein and digestible dry matter yield (Ranaet al. 1990).
Table 1. Dry matter yield per plot as influenced by the different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST DMY
( tons ha-1) (%)
Control
9.75c
10
13.78b
15
13.49b
20
19.20a
25
17.49a
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Solidity. Table 2 shows high differences on the solidity of cabbage heads applied with
different rates of vermicompost. Cabbage grown in plots applied with 10, 15, 20 and 25
tons ha-1 had corresponding increases of 127.20%, 165.85%, 165.85% and 172.62%,
respectively over the control. Cabbage plants grown in plots applied with 15 tons ha-1 to
25 tons ha-1 produced the hardest cabbage heads compared with control. The results
indicate that application of organic fertilizer and compost improves the quality of cabbage
as reported by Blatt (1991), El-Shinawy et al., (1999) and Premuzic et al., (2002).
Table 2. Solidity of cabbage head as influence by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST
SOLIDITY
( tons ha-1) HEAD
Control
1.47c
10
3.33b
15
3.90a
20
3.90a
25
4.00a
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT
Total yield . Table 3 shows the influence of different rates of vermicompost on the yield of
cabbage. Cabbage grown in plots applied with 25 tons ha-1produced the highest yield
(30.48/5.95m2). This was followed by 20 tons ha-1, 15 tons ha-1, and 10 tons ha-1 with
corresponding increases of 175.93%, 162.14%, and 83.75% over the control. As the rate
of vemicompost was increased, the more the yield produced.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
The increase in yield in cabbage can be attributed to the influence of vermicompost
applied on the influence in the total physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil
meeting the demands of greenhouse crops (Prabha et al.,2007 and Rodriguez et al.,2008).
This further supported by the report of Castillo et al.(2002) that vermicompost in particular
it increases soil fertility without polluting the soil, and further not only the quantity of
harvested but also the quality of products.
Table 3. Total yield as influenced by different application rates of vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST WEIGHT
( tons ha-1) (kg
5.95m-2)
Control
5.67d
10
10.43c
15
13.95b
20
14.87b
25
30.48a
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT
Some Physical Properties
Water holding capacity of the soil . The water holding capacity of the soil as
affected by the different application rates of vermicompost is shown in Table 4. Increasing
the amounts of vermicompost to 10, 15, 20 and 25 tons ha-1 increased the water holding
capacity by 4.56% 10.62%, 18.34% and 22.12%, respectively over the initial value of
58.28%. On the other hand , soils not applied with vermicompost decreased by 12.46 %
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
over the initial value. The increases on the moisture contents of the soil applied with
different amounts can be attributed to the ability of the vermicompost in increasing the
surface area, thus more water were retained in the soil (Edwards and Burrows, 1998; Shi –
wei and Fu – zhen, 1991 and Edwards, 1983).
Table 4. Water Holding Capacity of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST WHC
(tons ha-1) (%)
Control
51.02e
10
60.93d
15
64.47c
20
68.97b
25
72.17a
Initial
58.28
*Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Bulk density of the soil. Table 5 shows the bulk density of the soil as affected by the
different application rates of vermicompost. Application of vermicompost from 10 tons to
25 tons ha-1influenced the bulk density of the soil. Bulk densities of plots applied with 25,
20, 15, and 10 tons ha-1 decreased the values at about 4.44%, 8.89%, 12.59% and 10.42 %,
respectively over the control. This shows that increasing the rates of vermicompost
application from 10 - 25 tend to decrease the bulk density of the soil. This reduction in soil
bulk density can be due to the improved porosity as influenced by the granulation of the
soil particles by the applied organic material (Bazzoffi et al., 1998).
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 5. Bulk density (Db) of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST Db
(tons ha-1) (g cm-3)
Control
1.35a
10
1.29b
15
1.23bc
20
1.18c
25
1.21c
Initial
1.34
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Porosity of the soil. Application of different rates of vermicompost influenced the porosity
of the soil (Table 6). Application of vermicompost from 10 tons ha-1 to 25tons ha-1
increased the porosity of the soil from 5.72%, 8.74%, 16.83% and 15.31%, respectively
over the initial value. This shows that as the rates of vermicompost application increased,
the pore space tend to increase. The greater porosity in the soil applied with vermicompost
can be due to an increase in the amount of rounded pores (Marinari et al., 2000). Pagliai et
al. (1980) reported that the increase in porosity has been attributed to increased number of
pores in the 30 - 50 µm and 50 - 500 size ranges and a decrease in number of pores greater
than 500 µm when applied with vermicompost.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 6. Total Porosity of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST PORE
SPACE
(tons ha-1) (%)
Control
50.83e
10
53.57d
15
55.10c
20
59.20b
25
58.43ab
Initial
50.67
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Some Chemical Properties
Soil pH. Table 7 shows that application of vermicompost from 10 to 25 tons ha-1 decreased
the soil pH from an initial of 6.30 to a range of 5.35 to 5.52. Vermicomost applied at the
rates of 10 to 25 tons ha-1 increased the pH of the soil from 18.41%, 15.08%, 13.97%,
13.49%, and 12.38%, respectively over the control. The production of NH4+, CO2 and
organic acids during microbial metabolism in vermicompost contributed to the decrease in
soil pH (Albanell et al., 1988).
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 7. Soil pH as influenced by different application rates of vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST
(tons ha-1) Soil pH
Control
5.14d
10
5.35c
15
5.42b
20
5.45b
25
5.52a
Initial
6.30
*Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Organic matter content. Increasing the rates of vermicompost applied in the soil increased
the organic matter contents (Table 8). Application of 25 tons ha-1 registered the highest
amount of organic matter which is 4.65% which significantly differed from the different
rates of vermicompost. The results also shows that increasing the application rates of
vermicompost from 10 to 25 tons ha-1 increased the organic matter content of the soil. The
high OM content can be attributed to the high amount of vermicompost applied. The results
imply that vermicompost is an excellent product being homogeneous, retaining most of the
original nutrients and reduced level of organic contaminants, and can be applied to soil to
increase soil organic matter content which can be released upon decomposition (Springer,
2012).
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 8. Organic matter content of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST Organic
matter
(tons ha-1) (%)
Control
2.51e
10
2.68d
15
2.97c
20
3.52b
25
4.65a
Initial
1.94
*Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Total nitrogen content of the soil. Table 9 shows the nitrogen content of the soil as
influenced by the different rates of vermicompost application. Application of
vermicompost from 10 to 25 tons ha-1 gave corresponding increase of Nitrogen content at
about 66%, 96%, 103% and 113%, respectively over the initial value. The increase on the
N – contents of the soil after application of vermicompost can be due to the quantity and
quality of the nutrients in vermicomposts (Elvira et al,. 1996, Albanell et al., 1988, Cuevas,
1996, Businelli et al., 1984, Edwards and Burrows, 1988 and Theunisseu et al., 2010).
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 9. Total Nitrogen content of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST Nitrogen
(tons ha-1) (%)
Control
0.13b
10
0.13b
15
0.15b
20
0.18ab
25
0.23a
Initial
0.05
*Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Economic Importance
Return on Cash Expenses. The return on cash expenses (ROCE) as affected by the different
application rates of vermicompost is shown in Table 10. Application of 10 tons ha-1, 15
tons ha-1, 20 tons ha-1 and 25 tonsha-1vermicompost gave a corresponding cash return of
228.25%, 290.85%,283.61% and 599.38%, respectively. The control on the other hand
gave the lowest return of 4.18%. Plots treated with 25 tons ha-1vermicompost had a high
ROCE of 599.83% compared to the other treatments due to the high rate application of
vermicompost.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 10. Return on cash expense of cabbage as influenced by different application rates
of vermicompost
TREATMENT Yield /Plot
GROSS
COST OF
NET %ROCE
(kg/plot) INCOME
PRODUC-
INCOME
(Php)
TION ( Php)__(Php) _____________
Control
5.67 340.20
142.25
197.95
139.16
10 tons/ha
10.43
625.80 190.65
435.15
228.25
15 tons/ha
13.95
837.00
214.15
622.85
290.85
20 tons/ha
14.87
892.20
232.58
659.62
283.61
25tons/ha
30.48
1828.8
261.49 1567.31 599.38
Price used in the computation of gross income was Php 60/kg.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study was conducted at the organic demonstration farm from November 18,
2011 to March 10, 2012 using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Different
rates of vermicompost application was used in the study. The study was conducted to: 1)
Determine the best rate of vermicompost on the growth of cabbage under protected
environment; 2) Determine the best rate of vermicompost on the yield of cabbage (var.
Scorpio); 3) Determine the effect of vermicompost on some physical and chemical
properties of the soil; and,
4) Determine the economic benefit of using cabbage
production under controlled environment.
On the Agronomic parameters the dry matter yield (DMY), solidity, and yield of
cabbage (var. Scorpio) affected by vermicompost. Application of 20 and 25 tons ha-1
vermicompost significantly produced the highest dry matter yield. However, high total
yield was registered from those applied with 25 tons ha-1 . On the solidity, application of
15, 20 and 25 tons ha-1 enhanced hardest head among the treatments.
The different rates of vemicompost application significantly increased the water
holding capacity, the bulk density, and porosity of the soil. Increasing the amount of
vermicompost from 10 – 25 tons ha-1 decreased the Db indicating that the soil is porous
and friable.
On the other hand, the result showed that the soil pH had decreased over the initial.
While the OM and the N showed an increased over the initial. As the rate of vermicompost
increased the OM and the N content of the soil also increased.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
The return on cash expense (ROCE) obtained positive in all treatments (0, 10, 15, 20 ,and
25 tons ha-1 ). But treatment 5 (25 tons ha-1) gave the highest return of 599.38 %.
Conclusions
Based on the results of the trial, the following conclusions were drawn:
1) Vermicompost applied at 15-25 tons ha-1 produced the hardest cabbage heads.
2) Application of 20 to 25 tons ha-1 vermicompost gave the highest dry matter yield
(DMY); and
3) The yield of cabbage and return of cash expense were highest in plots applied
with 25 tons ha-1 vermicompost.
Recommendations
The following recommendations were formulated based on the results and
conclusions:
1) Application of 25 tons ha-1vermicompost can be recommended in the production
of cabbage (var. Scorpio); and
2) A follow – up study is recommended to verify the results.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
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Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012. Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio)
Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected Environment. Benguet State University, La
Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Jose G. Balaoing, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT
Performance of cabbage (var. Scorpio) applied with vernicompost under protected
environment was conducted at the BSU Organic Demonstration Farm, Benguet State
University, La Trinidad, Benguet from November 2011 to March 2012. Specifically, the
study was conducted to: determine the best rate of vermicompost on the growth of cabbage
(var. Scorpio) under protected environment, determine the best rate of vermicompost
application on the yield of cabbage (var. Scorpio), determine the effect of vermicompost
on some physical and chemical properties of the soil, and determine the economic benefit
of growing cabbage (var. Scorpio) grown in soils applied with vermicompost under
protected environment.
The dry matter yield (DMY), solidity and yield of cabbage (var. Scorpio) were
improved by different rates of vermicompost application under protected environment.
The application of different rates of vermicompost influenced some physical and
properties of the soil studied. Application of 10 to 25 tons ha-1 significantly increased the
water holding capacity (WHC), porosity of the soil and decreased the bulk density.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
On the other hand, the pH, OM and N contents of the soil were influenced by
vermicompost application. Higher pH values of the soil were obtained from the application
of 10 to 25 tons ha-1 vermicompost. The OM and N contents were highest in soil applied
with 25 tons of vermicompost ha-1.
Increasing the amount of vermicompost showed economic benefit when cabbage
(var. Scorpio) was grown under protected environment.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Agronomic Parameters
Dry matter yield.Application of different rates of vermicompost affected the dry matter
yield (DMY) as shown in Table 1. Application of 10, 15, 20 and 25 tons ha-1vermicompost
influenced the dry matter yield which had increase of 41.30%, 38.32, 96.92% and 79.42%,
respectively over the control. Application of 20 tons ha-1registered the highest dry matter
yield but not significantly different with 25 tons ha-1. The control registered the lowest dry
matter yield of 29.25%.
According to Patel et al. (1994) dry matter yield was increased and crude fiber
contents were decreased with increased vermicompostapplication. Increased rate of
vermicompostincreased the protein and digestible dry matter yield (Ranaet al. 1990).
Table 1. Dry matter yield per plot as influenced by the different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST DMY
( tons ha-1) (%)
Control
9.75c
10
13.78b
15
13.49b
20
19.20a
25
17.49a
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Solidity. Table 2 shows high differences on the solidity of cabbage heads applied with
different rates of vermicompost. Cabbage grown in plots applied with 10, 15, 20 and 25
tons ha-1 had corresponding increases of 127.20%, 165.85%, 165.85% and 172.62%,
respectively over the control. Cabbage plants grown in plots applied with 15 tons ha-1 to
25 tons ha-1 produced the hardest cabbage heads compared with control. The results
indicate that application of organic fertilizer and compost improves the quality of cabbage
as reported by Blatt (1991), El-Shinawy et al., (1999) and Premuzic et al., (2002).
Table 2. Solidity of cabbage head as influence by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST
SOLIDITY
( tons ha-1) HEAD
Control
1.47c
10
3.33b
15
3.90a
20
3.90a
25
4.00a
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT
Total yield . Table 3 shows the influence of different rates of vermicompost on the yield of
cabbage. Cabbage grown in plots applied with 25 tons ha-1produced the highest yield
(30.48/5.95m2). This was followed by 20 tons ha-1, 15 tons ha-1, and 10 tons ha-1 with
corresponding increases of 175.93%, 162.14%, and 83.75% over the control. As the rate
of vemicompost was increased, the more the yield produced.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
The increase in yield in cabbage can be attributed to the influence of vermicompost
applied on the influence in the total physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil
meeting the demands of greenhouse crops (Prabha et al.,2007 and Rodriguez et al.,2008).
This further supported by the report of Castillo et al.(2002) that vermicompost in particular
it increases soil fertility without polluting the soil, and further not only the quantity of
harvested but also the quality of products.
Table 3. Total yield as influenced by different application rates of vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST WEIGHT
( tons ha-1) (kg
5.95m-2)
Control
5.67d
10
10.43c
15
13.95b
20
14.87b
25
30.48a
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT
Some Physical Properties
Water holding capacity of the soil . The water holding capacity of the soil as
affected by the different application rates of vermicompost is shown in Table 4. Increasing
the amounts of vermicompost to 10, 15, 20 and 25 tons ha-1 increased the water holding
capacity by 4.56% 10.62%, 18.34% and 22.12%, respectively over the initial value of
58.28%. On the other hand , soils not applied with vermicompost decreased by 12.46 %
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
over the initial value. The increases on the moisture contents of the soil applied with
different amounts can be attributed to the ability of the vermicompost in increasing the
surface area, thus more water were retained in the soil (Edwards and Burrows, 1998; Shi –
wei and Fu – zhen, 1991 and Edwards, 1983).
Table 4. Water Holding Capacity of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST WHC
(tons ha-1) (%)
Control
51.02e
10
60.93d
15
64.47c
20
68.97b
25
72.17a
Initial
58.28
*Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Bulk density of the soil. Table 5 shows the bulk density of the soil as affected by the
different application rates of vermicompost. Application of vermicompost from 10 tons to
25 tons ha-1influenced the bulk density of the soil. Bulk densities of plots applied with 25,
20, 15, and 10 tons ha-1 decreased the values at about 4.44%, 8.89%, 12.59% and 10.42 %,
respectively over the control. This shows that increasing the rates of vermicompost
application from 10 - 25 tend to decrease the bulk density of the soil. This reduction in soil
bulk density can be due to the improved porosity as influenced by the granulation of the
soil particles by the applied organic material (Bazzoffi et al., 1998).
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 5. Bulk density (Db) of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST Db
(tons ha-1) (g cm-3)
Control
1.35a
10
1.29b
15
1.23bc
20
1.18c
25
1.21c
Initial
1.34
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Porosity of the soil. Application of different rates of vermicompost influenced the porosity
of the soil (Table 6). Application of vermicompost from 10 tons ha-1 to 25tons ha-1
increased the porosity of the soil from 5.72%, 8.74%, 16.83% and 15.31%, respectively
over the initial value. This shows that as the rates of vermicompost application increased,
the pore space tend to increase. The greater porosity in the soil applied with vermicompost
can be due to an increase in the amount of rounded pores (Marinari et al., 2000). Pagliai et
al. (1980) reported that the increase in porosity has been attributed to increased number of
pores in the 30 - 50 µm and 50 - 500 size ranges and a decrease in number of pores greater
than 500 µm when applied with vermicompost.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 6. Total Porosity of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST PORE
SPACE
(tons ha-1) (%)
Control
50.83e
10
53.57d
15
55.10c
20
59.20b
25
58.43ab
Initial
50.67
Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Some Chemical Properties
Soil pH. Table 7 shows that application of vermicompost from 10 to 25 tons ha-1 decreased
the soil pH from an initial of 6.30 to a range of 5.35 to 5.52. Vermicomost applied at the
rates of 10 to 25 tons ha-1 increased the pH of the soil from 18.41%, 15.08%, 13.97%,
13.49%, and 12.38%, respectively over the control. The production of NH4+, CO2 and
organic acids during microbial metabolism in vermicompost contributed to the decrease in
soil pH (Albanell et al., 1988).
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 7. Soil pH as influenced by different application rates of vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST
(tons ha-1) Soil pH
Control
5.14d
10
5.35c
15
5.42b
20
5.45b
25
5.52a
Initial
6.30
*Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Organic matter content. Increasing the rates of vermicompost applied in the soil increased
the organic matter contents (Table 8). Application of 25 tons ha-1 registered the highest
amount of organic matter which is 4.65% which significantly differed from the different
rates of vermicompost. The results also shows that increasing the application rates of
vermicompost from 10 to 25 tons ha-1 increased the organic matter content of the soil. The
high OM content can be attributed to the high amount of vermicompost applied. The results
imply that vermicompost is an excellent product being homogeneous, retaining most of the
original nutrients and reduced level of organic contaminants, and can be applied to soil to
increase soil organic matter content which can be released upon decomposition (Springer,
2012).
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 8. Organic matter content of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST Organic
matter
(tons ha-1) (%)
Control
2.51e
10
2.68d
15
2.97c
20
3.52b
25
4.65a
Initial
1.94
*Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Total nitrogen content of the soil. Table 9 shows the nitrogen content of the soil as
influenced by the different rates of vermicompost application. Application of
vermicompost from 10 to 25 tons ha-1 gave corresponding increase of Nitrogen content at
about 66%, 96%, 103% and 113%, respectively over the initial value. The increase on the
N – contents of the soil after application of vermicompost can be due to the quantity and
quality of the nutrients in vermicomposts (Elvira et al,. 1996, Albanell et al., 1988, Cuevas,
1996, Businelli et al., 1984, Edwards and Burrows, 1988 and Theunisseu et al., 2010).
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 9. Total Nitrogen content of the soil as influenced by different application rates of
vermicompost
RATES OF VERMICOMPOST Nitrogen
(tons ha-1) (%)
Control
0.13b
10
0.13b
15
0.15b
20
0.18ab
25
0.23a
Initial
0.05
*Means with the same letter/s are not significantly different at 5% level by DMRT.
Economic Importance
Return on Cash Expenses. The return on cash expenses (ROCE) as affected by the different
application rates of vermicompost is shown in Table 10. Application of 10 tons ha-1, 15
tons ha-1, 20 tons ha-1 and 25 tonsha-1vermicompost gave a corresponding cash return of
228.25%, 290.85%,283.61% and 599.38%, respectively. The control on the other hand
gave the lowest return of 4.18%. Plots treated with 25 tons ha-1vermicompost had a high
ROCE of 599.83% compared to the other treatments due to the high rate application of
vermicompost.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
Table 10. Return on cash expense of cabbage as influenced by different application rates
of vermicompost
TREATMENT Yield /Plot
GROSS
COST OF
NET %ROCE
(kg/plot) INCOME
PRODUC-
INCOME
(Php)
TION ( Php)__(Php) _____________
Control
5.67 340.20
142.25
197.95
139.16
10 tons/ha
10.43
625.80 190.65
435.15
228.25
15 tons/ha
13.95
837.00
214.15
622.85
290.85
20 tons/ha
14.87
892.20
232.58
659.62
283.61
25tons/ha
30.48
1828.8
261.49 1567.31 599.38
Price used in the computation of gross income was Php 60/kg.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study was conducted at the organic demonstration farm from November 18,
2011 to March 10, 2012 using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Different
rates of vermicompost application was used in the study. The study was conducted to: 1)
Determine the best rate of vermicompost on the growth of cabbage under protected
environment; 2) Determine the best rate of vermicompost on the yield of cabbage (var.
Scorpio); 3) Determine the effect of vermicompost on some physical and chemical
properties of the soil; and,
4) Determine the economic benefit of using cabbage
production under controlled environment.
On the Agronomic parameters the dry matter yield (DMY), solidity, and yield of
cabbage (var. Scorpio) affected by vermicompost. Application of 20 and 25 tons ha-1
vermicompost significantly produced the highest dry matter yield. However, high total
yield was registered from those applied with 25 tons ha-1 . On the solidity, application of
15, 20 and 25 tons ha-1 enhanced hardest head among the treatments.
The different rates of vemicompost application significantly increased the water
holding capacity, the bulk density, and porosity of the soil. Increasing the amount of
vermicompost from 10 – 25 tons ha-1 decreased the Db indicating that the soil is porous
and friable.
On the other hand, the result showed that the soil pH had decreased over the initial.
While the OM and the N showed an increased over the initial. As the rate of vermicompost
increased the OM and the N content of the soil also increased.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
The return on cash expense (ROCE) obtained positive in all treatments (0, 10, 15, 20 ,and
25 tons ha-1 ). But treatment 5 (25 tons ha-1) gave the highest return of 599.38 %.
Conclusions
Based on the results of the trial, the following conclusions were drawn:
1) Vermicompost applied at 15-25 tons ha-1 produced the hardest cabbage heads.
2) Application of 20 to 25 tons ha-1 vermicompost gave the highest dry matter yield
(DMY); and
3) The yield of cabbage and return of cash expense were highest in plots applied
with 25 tons ha-1 vermicompost.
Recommendations
The following recommendations were formulated based on the results and
conclusions:
1) Application of 25 tons ha-1vermicompost can be recommended in the production
of cabbage (var. Scorpio); and
2) A follow – up study is recommended to verify the results.
Performance of Cabbage (var. Scorpio) Applied with Vermicompost Under Protected
Environment | MARSAN, ROHIT E. OCTOBER 2012
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