BIBLIOGRAPHY

ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009. Influence of Vermicomposts
Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cv. Romaine and Potato
(Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao. Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet.

Adviser: Wilma L. Marquez, MSc
ABSTRACT

There were two sets of experimental set-ups to determine the influence of vermicompost
on the yield and quality of lettuce and potato including its effects on the soil. Specifically, the
study aimed to (1) determine the effect of vermicompost developed from different substrates on
the yield and quality of lettuce and potato; (2) determine the influence of vermicompost
developed from different substrates on some physical and chemical properties of soil.

The application of vermicompost developed from different substrates did not affect the
different agronomic parameters such as initial height and final height, total yield, shelf-life and
weight loss of lettuce. As to the soil physical properties, the bulk density was improved by
vermicompost applied. On the other hand, the organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
and cation exchange capacity of the soil were affected by vermicompost application. The OM
and N contents of the soil were improved by vermicompost derived from mixtures of sawdust
and cow manure. The P and CEC of the soil were improved by applying vermicompost derived
from sawdust and hog manure mixtures, while the K content was improved from vermicompost
obtained from sawdust and horse manure mixture.


On the potato trial, vermicomposts obtained from the different substrates affected the
marketable yield, non-marketable yield, total yield, and dry matter content (DMC) of tubers.

Application of vermicompost derived from mixture of sawdust and cow manure improved the

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marketable yield and total yield of potato. Moreover, lowest non-marketable tubers were
obtained from this mixture. The DMC was highest from tubers harvested from plots applied with
vermicompost from sawdust and hog manure mixture. The WHC was improved by
vermicompost obtained from the different mixtures of sawdust and animal manure. The pH, OM,
N, and CEC of the soil were improved by the application of vermicompost obtained from the
different substrate mixture.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Bibliography








i

Abstract








i

Table of Contents








iii


INTRODUCTION







1

REVIEW OF LITERATURE






4


Effect of Organic Matter, Organic
Fertilizer, and Vermicompost





4



Soil Physical Properties





4



Soil Chemical Properties





6



Soil Biological Properties





9


Effect of Organic Matter, Organic
Fertilizer, and Vermicompost





11



Plant Growth and Yield of
Crops







11











Nutrient Content of Animal Manure




13

MATERIALS AND METHODS






14

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION






22

LETTUCE







22



Growth Parameters





22




Initial Plant Height




22




Final Plant Height





23



Yield Parameter






23




Total Yield





23

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Post Harvest Qualities





24




Shelf-life of Lettuce




24




Percent Weight Loss of
Lettuce






25

Physical Properties of the Soil
After harvest





26




Bulk Density (Db) of the Soil



26

Water Holding Capacity
(WHC) of the Soil





27



Chemical Properties of the Soil After
Harvest







29




Final Soil pH





29




Organic Matter (OM) Content
of the Soil






30




Total Nitrogen (N) Content
of the Soil






31




Available Phosphorus (P)
Content of the Soil




32




Exchangeable Potassium (K)
Content of the Soil




33




Cation Exchange Capacity
(CEC) of the Soil





34

Return on Investment





35

POTATO








37

Yield Parameters






37




Marketable Yield





37




Non-Marketable Yield




38




Total Yield of Potato




38

Quality Parameter






39

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Dry Matter Content
(DMC) of Potato





39



Physical Properties of the Soil
After Harvest






40




Bulk Density (Db) of
the Soil






40

Water Holding Capacity
(WHC) of the Soil





41



Chemical Properties of the Soil
After Harvest






43




Final Soil pH





43




Organic Matter (OM)
Content of the Soil




44

Total Nitrogen (N)
Content of the Soil




45

Available Phosphorus (P)
Content of the Soil




46


Exchangeable Potassium (K)
Content of the Soil




47


Cation Exchange Capacity
(CEC) of the Soil





48



Return on Investment





49

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION


51


Summary








51


Conclusion







52

Recommendations






53

LITERATURE CITED







54

APPENDICES








56

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INTRODUCTION


Lettuce is common name for members of an herbaceous genus of the daisy
family, particularly the garden lettuce (Lactuca sativa). It is one of the most popular salad
vegetables and an important farm crop. Garden lettuce is grown in well-drained, crumbly
soil, rich in organic fertilizer. Rows are planted 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in) apart and
thinned frequently after the plants reach a height of 5 cm (2 in). Lettuce is native to
northern temperate regions. Within the Philippine setting, Lettuce is one of the most
important salad crops. It is grown commercially in some parts of the country like Benguet
and it is produced for local market and home use. Lettuce is eaten raw and is served as
salad combined with tomato, cucumber, potato and other vegetables. It is also an
ingredient in making sandwiches and it is used as decorations for foods. Lettuce also
contains 95 % water and a fair source of minerals and a high content of vitamin A.
Potato (informally tattie, tater, spud, tato, pota, spudzie, papa or tate) is the term
which applies either to the starchy, tuberous vegetable crop from the various subspecies
of the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, or to
the plant itself. Potato is the worlds most widely grown tuber crop, and the fourth largest
food crop in terms of fresh produce – after rice, wheat, and maize (corn). As the worlds
most widely grown tuber crop, it is also grown in the northern part of the Philippines
specifically Benguet, Mountain Province and other nearby provinces. It is marketed for
the preparation of dishes in restaurants and households.
Today’s Agriculture is the promotion of environmentally sound ideas to create
good sites for agricultural productions of crops together with the conservation of soils to
produce good yields and one of this is the use of composts. According to a study
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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2
conducted on the fate of heavy metals and organic contaminants in leaf lettuce and
broccoli heads grown under field condition using six products of compost including three
feedstocks (Urban Plant Debris (UPD), Biosolids/UPD (Bio), and Municipal Solid Waste
(MSW), composts are physically, chemically, and biologically safe (Shiralipour, 2008).
Organic fertilizers minimize expenses and there’s an abundant resource within the
locality. It can minimize or lower the cost of farm inputs, particularly on fertilizer
application. An application of organic (such as compost or vermicompost) will help so
much in the maintenance of soil fertility, by improving the soil physical and chemical
properties, such as structure, tilt and aeration, and moisture movement and retention.

Vermicompost (also called worm compost, vermicast, wormcastings, worm
humus or worm manure) is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by some
species of earthworm. It is a nutrient-rich, organic fertilizer and soil conditioner. Subler,
Edwards, and Metzger (1998) claimed that vermicompost had significantly greater
cumulative microbial activity than the composts. By its ability to support microbial life, it
provides plant with nutrients already in plant available forms which is broken down by
the help of these microorganisms (Wikipedia, 2008).







Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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3
The study was conducted to:
1. Determine the effect of vermicompost developed from different substrates on
the yield and quality of lettuce representing leafy vegetable and potato, a tuber crop;
2. Determine the influence of vermicompost developed from different substrates
on some physical and chemical properties of soil.
The study was conducted at the Soil Science Experimental Area, College of
Agriculture, Benguet State University, La Trinidad Benguet from December 2008 to June
2009.















Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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4
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Effect of Organic Matter, Organic Fertilizer, and Vermicompost


Soil Physical Properties
Brady and Weil (1996) stated that humus tends to give surface horizons dark
brown to black colors. Granulation and aggregate stability are encouraged, especially by
the non-humic fractions of soil organic matter. Plasticity, cohesion, and stickiness of
clayey soils are reduced, making these soils easier to manipulate. Soil water retention is
also improved, since organic matter increases both infiltration rate and water-holding
capacity.
Funderberg (2001) claimed that organic matter is stable on soil. Organic matter
behaves somewhat like sponge, with the ability to absorb and hold up to 90 % of its
weight in water. A great advantage of the water holding capacity of organic matter is that
the matter will release most of the water that it absorbs to plants. In contrast, clay holds
great quantities of water, but much of it is unavailable to plants.
Organic matter causes soil to clump and form soil aggregates, which improves
soil structure. With better soil structure, permeability (infiltration of water through the
soil) improves, in turn improving the soil’s ability to take up and hold water.
Funderberg (2001) claimed that data used in the universal soil loss equation
indicate that the increasing soil organic matter from 1 to 3 % can reduce erosion 20 to 33
% because of increased/improved water infiltration and stable soil aggregate formation
caused by organic matter.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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The major medium in the improvement of granular and crumb type aggregate
formation in surface soil horizons is organic matter, which not only bind but also lightens
and expands making possible the porosity so characteristic of individual soil aggregates
(Brady, 1984).
Organic matter is of much importance on modifying the effect of clay on soil
structure. An actual chemical union may take place between the decaying organic matter
and the clay particles. Moreover, the high adsorptive capacity of humus for water
intensifies the disruptive effects of temperature changes and moisture fluctuations. The
granulation of clay soil apparently cannot be promoted adequately without the presence
of a certain amount of humus.

A result of a study conducted that soils amended with vermicomposts had
significantly greater soil bulk density in comparison to control plots but with the
increased rates of vermicompost, bulk density was reduced. Compost addition caused a
significant increase of bulk density due to the more porosity added to the soil (Bazzoffi et
al., 1998 as cited by Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail, 2008). The total porosity was
improved by the used of vermicompost. The greater porosity in the soil treated with
vermicompost was due to the increase in the amount of rounded prose (Marinari et al.
2000 as cited by Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail, 2008). Pagliali et al., (1980) as cited
by Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail (2008) reported that the increase in porosity has
been attributed to increase number of pores in the 30-50 um and 50-500 um size ranges
and a decrease in number of pores greater than 500 um.



Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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Soil Chemical Properties
It is well established that certain organic compounds are absorbed by higher
plants. Plants can absorb a very small portion of their nitrogen and phosphorus needs as
soluble organic compounds. Various growth promoting compounds such as vitamins,
amino acids, auxins, and gibberellins are formed as organic matter decays. These
substances may at times stimulate growth in both higher plants and microorganisms.
Brady and Weil (1996) claimed that because humus has CEC two to thirty times
as great (per kg) as that of the various types of clay minerals, it generally accounts for 20-
90 % of the cation-absorbing power of mineral soils. Like clays, humus colloids hold
nutrient cations (potassium, calcium, magnesium) in easily exchangeable form. Organic
acids associated with humus also accelerate the release of nutrient elements from mineral
structures. In addition, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulfur, and micronutrients are stored as
constituents of soil Organic Matter until released by mineralization.
Certain components of soil humus chelate or otherwise form complexes with
metal ions. Some of these metal ions are micronutrient (Iron, Zinc) and are made more
available to plants because they are kept in soluble, chelated form. In the case of
Aluminum ions, which are toxic to plants in very acid soils, Organic matter alleviates the
toxicity by binding the Aluminum ions in non exchangeable forms.
Funderberg (2001) stated that organic matter is a reservoir of nutrients that can be
released to the soil. Each percent of organic matter in the soil releases 20 to 30 lbs of
nitrogen, 4.5 to 6.6 lbs of P2O5, and 2 to 3 lbs of sulfur per year. The nutrient release
occurs predominantly in the spring and summer, so summer crops benefit more from
organic matter mineralization than winter crops.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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The chemical properties of the humus and clay are probably effective in the
organization and the later stabilization of aggregates.

Brady and Weil (1996) stated that composting provides a means of effectively and
safely storing organic materials until it is convenient to apply them to soils. As a result of
CO2 losses and settling, the volume of composted organic materials decreases to 30-50%
during the composting process. The smaller volume of material may greatly ease the
handling and eventual use of the organic matter as soil amendment or potting medium.
As raw organic materials are humified in a compost pile, the CEC of the organic matter
increases to about 50-70cmol/kg of compost.

In 1998, Metzger claimed that the worm castings or fecal material produced by
the worms is a rich source of a variety of essential plant nutrients and are less variable
and much more stable.

(Kale 2003) stated that earthworm castings are the pool of concentrated nutrients.
Total nitrogen, organic matter, nitrate nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and
magnesium were at higher level in castings than in the surrounding soil.
A result of a study conducted that soils amended with vermicomposts showed that
the total N concentration in the soil was significantly affected by vermicompost
treatments. There have been other reports of increase of N in soil after application of
vermicompost (Nethra et al., 1999 as cited by Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail, 2008).
Soils treated with vermicompost at the rate of 15 tons/ha had significantly more P as
compared to control plots. This implied that the continuous inputs of P to the soil were
probably from slow release from vermicompost and release of P was due largely to the
activity of soil microorganism (Arancon et al., 2006 as cited by Azarmi, Giglou and
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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8
Taleshmikail, 2008). Marinari et al., 2000 as cited by Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail,
2008 showed similar increases in soil P after application of organic amendments. The
enhancement of phosphatase activity and physical breakdown of material resulted in
greater mineralization (Sharpley and Syres, 1997 as cited by Azarmi, Giglou and
Taleshmikail, 2008). In their experiment the more available P probably could have
contributed to decrease in soil pH caused from application of vermicompost. The soil
available K increased significantly with rising vermicompost rate. Application of
vermicompost at rate of 15, 10, and 5 tons/ha increased available K in their treatments at
58, 46, and 34%, respectively in comparison to control plots. The selective feeding of
earthworms on organically rich substances which breakdown during passage through the
gut, biological grinding, together with enzymatic influence on finer soil particles, were
likely responsible for increasing the different forms of K (Rao et al., 1996 as cited by
Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail, 2008). The increase of soil organic matter resulted in
decrease K fixation and subsequent increase K availability (Olk and Cassman, 1993 as
cited by Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail, 2008). Vermicompost contains most nutrients
in plant available forms such as phosphates, exchangeable calcium and soluble potassium
(Orozeo et al., 1996 as cited by Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail, 2008). The addition of
vermicompost in soil change soil pH. The highest and lowest pH values were observed at
the rate of 0 and 15 tons/ha vermicompost, respectively. (Atiyeh et al., 2001 as cited by
Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail, 2008) reported that the increase of vermicompost rate
in the soil resulted in the decrease in soil pH. Maheshwarapa et al., 1999 as cited by
Azarmi, Giglou, and Taleshmikail (2008) reported that the increase of the content of
vermicompost decreased soil pH. Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail (2008) reported that
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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9
addition of 5, 10 and 15 tons/ha vermicompost in soil had significant positive effect on
uptake of element nutrients such as P, K, Fe, and Zn.

Soil Biological Properties
One study carried out in Japan found that the application of livestock manure and
other organic materials resulted in a more diverse root fungal flora. Solid materials
produced more diversification than liquid ones (Wikipedia, 2008).

Organic matter greatly affects the biology of the soil because it provides the main
food for the community of heterotrophic soil organisms.
Kale (2003) stated that organic amendment is essential to enhance the biological
processes in soil and the application of organic manure to agricultural lands primarily
contributes to health of soil and secondarily acts as nutrient provider to crops.
Weir (1946) said that decay of organic matter aids decay of mineral particles
where organisms which cause the decomposition of the soil organic matter perform a
two-fold work. They not only bring about the necessary changes in the organic matter to
provide available nitrogen and mineral elements for use by plants, but in an indirect way
they aid in the liberation of mineral elements contained in the mineral soil particles. This
is explained through the fact that in all organic decay, acids are formed which is effective
agents in dissolving mineral matter.

Composted diseased stems of adzuki bean infected with brown rot mixed with
straw and other waste products eliminated most of the pathogenic organisms (Wikipedia,
2008).

Wikipedia claimed that vermicompost is richer in many nutrients than composts
produced by composting methods. It is also rich in microbial life which help breakdown
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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10
nutrients already present in the soil into plant-available forms. Worm castings also
contains worm mucus which keeps nutrients from washing away with the first watering
and holds moisture better than plain soil.
Edwards and Arancon (2007) claimed that vermicomposts can be used in
pollutant bioremediation for organic contaminants and heavy metals. The microbial
degradation of the organic pollutants is accelerated dramatically and the heavy metals
become irreversibly bound into the humic materials that are formed, so they are not
available to plants.

Vermicompost had significantly greater cumulative microbial activity than the
composts (Subler, Edwards, and Metzger, 1998). The nature of the microbial processes
are quite different in vercomposting and composting, the active phase of composting is
characterized by thermophilic bacteria, whereas the active phase of vermicomposting is
characterized by mesophilic bacteria and fungi, which are stimulated and encourage by
the activity of earthworms.

Kale (2003) stated that microorganisms present in vermicompost are considered
to inactivate and suppress the growth of pathogens.
(Kale 2003) added that earthworms probably form the major soil invertebrates
that contribute to recycling of organic matter. Organic debris breaks down rapidly after
they are fed to these organisms and subjected to the enzymatic activity in their gut.
Primary decomposers initiate the decomposition process and secondary decomposers like
earthworms further catalyze the process by fragmenting the organic residues and
increasing the surface area for further decomposition by micro flora. Release of the part
of CO2 in the process of respiration, production of mucus and nitrogenous excrements
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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11
enhance the level of nitrogen and lowers’ the C/N ratio. They selectively feed on the
decomposing particulate matter and they defecate the partially digested material on the
soil surface as mucus coated castings.
Furthermore, Kale (2003) added that earthworms contribute to distribution of
surface litter, spatial heterogeneity and microbial activity. Appropriate use of fertilizers is
essential to maintain the soil faunal populations that are essential for restoration of soil
quality and productivity. In addition, having cover crops and reduction in use of
pesticides will improve the soil faunal density especially the earthworm population.

Vermicast contains a highly active biological mixture of bacteria, enzymes,
remnants of plant matter and animal dung as well as earthworm cocoons (damp) (Bhawan
2002).
Kale (2003) claimed that earthworm’s activity is always associated with the
microflora in the organic material used for vermicomposting and in the final product as
vermicompost. It is the interrelationship and interaction of primary and secondary
decomposers in the decomposer chain. He added that soil micro flora and fauna
contribute to soil physical properties like aggregate stability, porosity, bulk density, and
water holding capacity. They also contribute to chemical processes like solubilization and
mobilization of nutrients.

Effect of Organic Matter, Organic Fertilizer, and Vermicompost


Plant Growth and Yield of Crops

Over a longer period of time in the application of organic materials such as
livestock manure and crop residues have been found to bring about a gradual
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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12
improvement in soil productivity and crop performance (Wikipedia, 2008). A recent
study carried out on five crops in Japan showed that application of organic matter
enhance root growth and nutrient uptake, resulting in higher yields.

Enabling fruit and seed pits to germinate in vermicompost easily, it also improves
physical structure of soil, enriching soil in micro-organisms, adding plant hormones (such
as auxins and gibberillic acid), adding enzymes (such as phosphatase and cellulase),
attract deep burrowing earthworms already present in the soil, improving water holding
capacity, enhance plant growth and crop yield, and improving root growth and crop yield
(Wikipedia, 2008).

Edwards and Arancon (2007) claimed that certain species of earthworms feed
preferentially on organic matter and have been adopted for the vermiculture processing of
organic wastes into vermicomposts. In the process, the earthworms use microorganisms
growing on wastes for their nutrition but also promote microbial activity dramatically in
the vermicomposts produced. Vermicomposts can be used as plant growth media or soil
amendments in greenhouse or field. They promote plant germination, growth, flowering,
and yield dramatically. They can also be used as aqueous extracts termed ‘teas’ that can
be watered or sprayed on to be plants. They promote plant growth, independent of
nutrients because of the plant growth regulators produced by the microorganisms that
became adsorbed by the humates (indole acetic acid, gibberellins, kinetin, humates and
fulvates).

Metzger (1998) claimed that vermicompost sustained plant quality for a
substantial period of time after seedling emergence. In other words, incorporation of
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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13
vermicompost in media used to grow bedding plants may help to maintain crop quality
and salability even after the plants reach the garden center.

Metzger (1998) showed that plants grown in vermicomposts –amended media still
grow better than those grown in unamended media with similar nutritional levels.
Furthermore, the promotive effect of vermicomposts on growth is lost if it is sterilized
and can not be restored by adding additional nutrients.

The incorporation of vermicompost in a commercial potting mix resulted in faster
growth, increased in height, and higher fresh weights for a variety of bedding plants. The
optimal amount of vermicompost need to produce positive results was relatively low:
between 10 and 20 % by volume. In addition, the incorporation of vermicompost in the
media essentially eliminated the need for additional fertilizer in the production of tomato
plugs.

Subler, Edwards, and Metzger (1998) stated that vermicompost have the potential
for improving plant growth when added to soil or container media.

Nutrient Content of Animal Manure

Rodale (2000) stated that horse manure is about half as rich as chicken manure,
richer in organic matter than cow manure. Fresh horse manure contain 0.70% of N,
0.30% of P, and 0.60% of K; fresh cow manure contain 0.25% of N, 0.15% of P, and
0.25% of K; and hog manure contain 0.061% of N, 0.02865% of P, and 0.1070% of K.
Estimate nutrient content of manure are available from the number of published source,
but nutrient composition varies widely between farm due to differences in animal species,
age of animal, feed ratio, type and amount of bedding, storage structure, and manure
handling.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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14

MATERIALS AND METHODS


Materials

The materials used in the study were lettuce seedlings (Romaine); potato seed
tubers (Solibao); Vermicomposts were taken from different substrates such as sawdust,
sawdust + cow manure, sawdust + hog manure, sawdust + horse manure were used pust-
composted. Identifying tags and other necessary materials needed in the study such as
farm implements and laboratory equipments were used.

Methodology
An area of 190 square meters was properly prepared by dividing it into three
blocks and in each block with 5 plots having a dimension of 1x 10 meters and again
divided for the two crops as illustrated bellow. Border plots were also included in
between blocks.

The experiment was laid out following the simple Randomized Complete Block
Design (RCBD) with three replication.
The vermicomposts treatments from different substrates were as follows:
Treatments Fertilizer (vermicompost substrate)
Lettuce
V1 Control, no fertilizer
V2 Sawdust Alone
V3 Sawdust + Cow Manure
V4 Sawdust + Hog Manure
V5 Sawdust + Horse Manure
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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15
Potato
V1 Control, no fertilizer
V2 Sawdust Alone
V3 Sawdust + Cow Manure
V4 Sawdust + Hog Manure
V5 Sawdust + Horse Manure



The different substrates were decomposed using the vermicomposting technology
for 2-3 months. The vermicast were used at the rate of 20 t/ha and applied aweek before
planting.
The seedlings for lettuce were the Romaine variety, commercially marketed in
organic stores and the potato variety used was Solibao which was found to be appropriate
for organic production. The two crops were planted at the same time in the experimental
area. The planting distance for lettuce was at 20 cm x 20cm between hills and rows and
for potato was at 30 cm x 30 cm between hills and rows.

The number of plants was maintained by replanting the dead or weak seedling
with desirable ones one week after planting. All other agricultural management practices
were employed such as irrigation and weeding until for the successful growing of lettuce
and potato.








Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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16
The data gathered were the following:
A. Growth and Yield Parameters
1. Initial plant height (cm). This was taken by random sampling. Ten sample
plants were measured from ground level to the tip by using a ruler one week after
planting.
2. Final plant height (cm). The same ten sample plants used in the initial plant
height were measured from ground level to the tip by using a ruler 60 days after planting.
3. Marketable yield per plot (kg/5m2). The total tuber yield were obtained by
measuring the weight of all desirable tubers per 5m2 plot without defect such as
malformed, very small, and pest damaged or those that can be sold to the market.
4. Non-Marketable yield per plot (kg/5m2). This was taken by getting the weight
of tubers with defect that can not be sold to the market.
5. Computed total yield (t/ha). This was taken by converting the yield per 5m2 plot
into t/ha.


t/ha = kg/ha

1000
Kg/ha = total weight per plot x 10,000

area of experimental plot
a. where = 5m2 area of experimental plot, and 10,000m2 is the area of one
hectare

B. Quality Parameters
Lettuce
1. Shelf-life (days). This was the number of days from storage at ambient
temperature or normal room temperature up to the time unfit for consumption.

Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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17
2. Weight loss. This was taken by subtracting the initial weight of three lettuce
plant per plot to their final weight.
Potato
3. Tuber dry matter content (DMC). About three tubers were selected from the
marketable tubers representing the different tuber sizes for the determination of DMC.
These were sliced, placed in bags, and then placed in the oven for drying at 70 ºC for 3
days. The DMC was computed using the following formula:


% MC = FW - ODW x 100
FW


% DM = 100 % - % MC


Where: FW = Fresh weight



ODW = Oven dried weight
C. Initial and Final Physical Properties of soil
1. Bulk density of the soil (g/cm³). The Bulk Density was determined by using the
core method. The Bulk Density was computed using the following formula:



Db = weight of oven dry soil (gm)

volume of the soil sample (cm³)

2. Water holding capacity of the soil (mL/g). The amount of water retained by a
unit weight of dry soil was measured. The Water Holding Capacity of the soil was
calculated using the formula:

Water retained = volume of water added (ml) – volume of water collected (ml)


Water Holding Capacity = water retained (ml) .
Oven Dry Weight of soil (g)



Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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18
D. Initial and Final Chemical Properties of Soil
4. pH of the soil. The pH of the soil was determined by using the electrometric
method (10:10 soil: distilled water).
5. Organic matter (OM) content of the soil (%). The Organic Matter content was
determined using Walkley-Black Method. The formula used for the computation of
percent OM is as follows:


% OM = 6.9(S – T) x 100
S


Where: 6.9 = constant number


S = ml of the ferrous solution required for Blank


T = ml of ferrous solution required for the Sample
6. Total nitrogen (N) content of the soil (%). This was computed based on the
Organic Matter content, a considered procedure since it is assumed that the

Nitrogen is derived only on the Organic Matter since no inorganic source of N
was applied. The following formula was used:


% N = % OM (0.05).


Where: % OM = the computed OM Value of the soil.


0.05 = constant value
7. Available phosphorus (P) content of the soil (ppm). The Phosphorus content of
the soil was determined through the Bray No.2 Method. The concentration of P was
computed as follows:


ppm P = ppm P in solution x 25 x 20

2 2.85g
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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19
8. Exchangeable potassium (K) content of the soil. The Potassium content of the
soil was determined by using the Flame Photometer.
9. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) of the soil (m.e/100g). The CEC was
determined through the Ammonium Acetate method. The formula used in computing
CEC is:


CEC = (S –B) x N x 100
W


Where: W = Oven Dry Weight of sample in grams



S = Volume of H2SO4 used in sample



B = Volume of H2SO4 used in blank



N = normality of H2SO4
10. Return on investment (ROI). The economic analysis was separately computed
for the two crops. The level or value that is considered economically feasible is when the
ROI value is positive. This was taken by dividing the net income with total expenses
multiplied by one hundred or:


ROI= Gross Income – Total expenses x 100

Total Expenses















Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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Physical Properties of Vermicomposts

The physical analysis of vermicomposts is shown in Table 1. Vermicompost from
sawdust alone has the lowest Db as compared to the other vermicomposts developed
from different substrates which proves the vermicomposts can improved the soil Db by
granulation. Vermicomposts developed from the mixture of sawdust + manures gained
higher Db than vermicompost from sawdust alone which indicates that mixing manures
with sawdust tend to increase Db.

Highest WHC was obtained from vermicompost developed from substrates
sawdust + cow manure while the lowest WHC was obtained from sawdust alone. This
result means that sawdust + cow manure holds more water than the other vermicomposts
formulations. In addition, sawdust mixed with different manures increased the
WHC of the soil.

Table 1. Bulk density and water holding capacity of vermicomposts

BULK WATER HOLDING
DENSITY CAPACITY
SUBSTRATE (g/cm3) (mL/g)

V1 Sawdust alone


0.77


0.38
V2 Sawdust + Cow Manure

0.93


0.94
V3 Sawdust + Hog Manure

0.96


0.91
V4 Sawdust + Horse Manure

0.93


0.93




Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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21
Chemical Properties of Vermicomposts

The chemical analysis of vermicompost is shown in Table 2. Highest pH, OM, N,
P, and K was obtained from sawdust + horse manure while the lowest pH, OM, N, P, and
K was obtained from vermicompost developed from sawdust alone. The rest of the
vermicomposts developed from different formulations with the addition of different
manures have higher pH, OM, N, P, and K than vermicompost developed from sawdust
alone which indicates that mixing sawdust and different manures as substrates of
vermicompost were significant on improving chemical properties of vermicompost or
vermicast.

Table 2. pH, organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and
exchangeable potassium (K) of vermicomposts


pH OM N P K
SUBSTRATE (%) (%) (ppm) (ppm)

V1 Sawdust alone 5.68 0.217 0.21 0.13 0.09
V2 Sawdust + Cow Manure 6.83 1.79 1.79 1.35 1.96
V3 Sawdust + Hog Manure 6.54 1.79 1.79 1.16 1.71
V4 Sawdust + Horse Manure 6.97 2.12 2.12 1.46 2.01


Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION


Lettuce

Growth Parameters

Initial plant height. Initial height of lettuce which was gathered seven days after
planting is presented in Table 3. Height ranged from 10.04 to 11.37cm with the tallest
observed from plants grown in sawdust amended plot. The application of vermicomposts
developed from different substrates did not significantly affect the initial height of
lettuce. Based from the unfertilized plot (control) there is a decrease in height of the
plants treated with the vermicompost substrates, this could be attributed by the effect of
the incorporation of the vermicompost developed from different substrates.

Table 3. Initial height of lettuce as affected by vermicomposts developed from different
substrates







INITIAL HEIGHT
TREATMENT (cm)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




10.88a

V2
Sawdust Alone





11.37a

V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




10.67a

V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




10.65a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




10.04a

Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.

Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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23

Final plant height. There were no significant differences between treatments on
the final lettuce height (Table 4). Unfertilized plot (control) has the lowest mean of 20.34
compared to the substrates which indicates that application of vermicomposts developed
from different substrates result to higher height of the plants. Application of
vermicompost from substrate sawdust + hog manure has the highest mean.

Yield Parameter
Total yield. The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates
did significantly affect the total yield of lettuce (Table 5). However, unfertilized plot
(control) registered the lowest mean yield while the amended plots yielded higher which
indicates that the application of the different amendments effected an increase in total
yield of lettuce. Application of vermicompost developed from sawdust + hog manure and
sawdust alone with means 17.39 and 16.67t/ha registered the highest yields. The

Table 4. Final height of lettuce as affected by vermicomposts developed from different
substrates







FINAL HEIGHT
TREATMENT (cm)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




20.34a
V2
Sawdust Alone





20.54a
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




21.05a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




21.10a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




20.57a

Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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24

application of vermicomposts developed from substrates sawdust + horse manure and
sawdust + cow manure with means of 14.49 and 14.73t/ha had yielded the lowest among
the fertilized plots. This result did not match the vermicomposts analysis wherein
vermicomposts from sawdust + horse manure and sawdust + cow manure have the
highest physical and chemical analysis. It could be noted that incorporation of
vermicomposts developed from different substrates in the soil resulted a variable
differences in the nutrient content of the soil as compared to the vermicast analysis. The
differences could be due to further decomposition of the vermicast by microorganisms
upon incorporation.

Table 5. Total yield of lettuce as affected by vermicomposts developed from different
substrates





YIELD PER PLOT TOTAL YIELD
TREATMENT



kg/5m2
(t/ha)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)

5.58

11.16b
V2
Sawdust Alone


8.34

16.67a
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure

7.36

14.73ab
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure

8.69

17.39a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure

7.25

14.49ab

Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


Postharvest Qualities

Shelf-life of lettuce. The application of vermicomposts developed from different
substrates did not significantly affect the shelf life of lettuce (Table 6). The unfertilized
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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25

plot (control) gave the longest mean shelf life of 6.67 days compared to the application of
amendments which had a shelf life of 6.00 to 6.33 days. It can be noted that the
application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates decreased the shelf life
of lettuce.

Table 6. Shelf life of lettuce as affected by vermicomposts developed from different
substrates


SHELF-LIFE
TREATMENT (days)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




6.67a

V2
Sawdust Alone





6.00a

V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




6.33a

V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




6.00a

V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




6.33a


Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


Percent weight loss of lettuce. The application of vermicomposts developed from
different substrates did not significantly affected the weight loss of stored lettuce (Table
7). However, the unfertilized plot (control) has the lowest mean compared to those
applied with vermicomposts from different substrates. Application of vermicompost from
sawdust + hog manure has the highest weight loss of 196.3% while the control gains the
lowest weight loss of 134.0% which indicate that there is more water content of lettuce
due the application of vermicompost developed from different substrates.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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26

(Wikipedia, 2008) Vermicompost adds plant hormones and enzymes, enhance
plant growth and crop yield and improving root growth. This could result to broader
leaves and more dense head of lettuce contributed by the application vermicomposts
derived from sawdust and animal manure mixture which could explain why more weight
is loss.

Table 7. Weight loss of lettuce as affected by vermicomposts developed from different
substrates


WEIGHT LOSS
TREATMENT (%)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




134.0b
V2
Sawdust Alone





156.3ab
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




161.7ab
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




196.3a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




158.7ab

Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


Physical Properties of the Soil After Harvest

Bulk density (Db) of the soil. As shown in Table 8, from the initial of 1.22 g/cm³,
bulk density (Db) decreased in all of the treatment plots including the unfertilized plot
(control). For the unfertilized plot (control), it could be attributed by tillage wherein there
is a decrease of Db by the loosening of the soil.
The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates
significantly affected the bulk density of the soil after harvest. Application of
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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27

vermicompost developed from substrate sawdust alone resulted to the lowest mean which
indicates that the substrate affected the soil to become loose. This result conforms to the
findings of Aboen (2009) that the vermicompost from sawdust alone has the lowest Db
(Table 1). Tangueid (2000) as cited by Anas (2008) stated that the final bulk density of
the soil significantly affected by the different rates of organic fertilizer. In addition,
Brady and Weil (1996) stated that granulation and aggregate stability are encouraged,
especially by the non-humic fractions of soil organic matter. Plasticity, cohesion, and
stickiness of clayey soils are reduced, making these soils easier to manipulate.

Table 8. Bulk density (Db) of the soil as affected by vermicomposts developed from
different substrates










Db
TREATMENT






(g/cm3)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




1.15a
V2
Sawdust Alone





1.01b
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




1.11a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




1.14a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




1.11a
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value






1.220
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


Water holding capacity (WHC) of the soil. There was no significant difference on
the initial water holding capacity (WHC) between treatments (Table 9).
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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28

The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates had no
significant effect on the water holding capacity of the soil after harvest although WHC
values increased from the initial. Though not significantly different from the other
treatments, the application of vermicompost developed from substrate sawdust + horse
manure resulted to highest WHC as compared to the other treatments including the
control. In addition, vermicompost from sawdust + horse manure is second to have the
highest mean WHC in the vermicomposts analysis of Aboen (2009) (Table 1) so it could
be that its incorporation to the soil gave the highest WHC. Given also that the area is clay
loam, the slight increase of WHC may be contributed by the nature of vermicompost to
have a high water holding capacity Pittaway (2000) as cited by Anas (2008).
Furthermore, Bhawan (2002) as cited by Lagman (2003) claimed that vermicompost
increases the ability of the soil to hold water. Soil water retention is also improved, since

Table 9. Water holding capacity (WHC) of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates










WHC
TREATMENT






(mL/g)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




0.69a
V2
Sawdust Alone





0.73a
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




0.74a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




0.73a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




0.75a
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







0.68
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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29

organic matter increases both infiltration rate and water-holding capacity (Brady and
Weil, 1996).

Chemical Properties of the Soil After Harvest

Final soil pH. From an initial of 6.5, soil pH decreased to a range of 6.2 to 6.5
(Table 10). The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates did not
significantly affected the pH of the soil after harvest. However, soil pH from the amended
plots showed higher values while the control (no amendment added) showed the lowest.
Application of vemicompost developed from substrate sawdust + hog manure gave the
highest mean which differed from the control but not with the other amended plot.

The lowering of the soil pH could be due to cation absorption or it could be due to
acidity contributed by the further decomposition of organic matter. Mader (2004)
discussed that decaying organic matter which is humus supplies nutrients to plants, and

Table 10. Final soil pH as affected by vermicomposts developed from different substrates











TREATMENT






SOIL pH

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




6.2b
V2
Sawdust Alone





6.4ab
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




6.3ab
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




6.5a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




6.3ab
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







6.5
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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30

its acidity also leaches minerals from rocks and therefore retaining positively charged
minerals until plant uptake occurs. In all organic decay, acids are formed which is
effective agents in dissolving mineral matter (Weir, 1946). It could be that this minerals
were taken up by plants leaving behind the negatively charge ions causing the soil to be
acidic or the formation of acids aids in acidification of the soil.

Organic matter (OM) content of the soil. From the initial organic matter (OM)
content of the soil at 1.88%, OM content was increased by the addition of soil
amendments (Table 11). On the other hand OM decreased to 1.75% on the unfertilized
plot (control).
The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates
significantly affected the organic matter content of the soil. Application of vermicompost
developed from substrate sawdust + cow manure gained the highest mean which indicates

Table 11. Organic matter content (OM) of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates










OM
TREATMENT






(%)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




1.75b
V2
Sawdust Alone





2.63a
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




2.98a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




2.62a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




2.57a
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







1.88
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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31

that it has the highest amount of humus added to the soil. In comparison, vermicomposts
from substrates sawdust, sawdust + hog manure and sawdust + horse manure also
significantly affected the humus of the soil.
It was observed that all of the amended plot resulted to higher OM than the initial
OM content whereas the control decreased. The significant increase of the OM on the
amended plot can be due to the application of vermicomposts developed from different
substrates because it contains humus. The decrease of OM from initial to control could be
attributed by the further degradation of OM when incorporated in the soil.
Total nitrogen (N) content of the soil. The initial nitrogen (N) content of the soil
at 0.094% decreased to 0.0867% in the unfertilized plot (control) (Table 12). It could be
that the slight decrease is attributed by plant uptake of available N.
The application of vermicompost developed from different substrates has a
significant effect on the N percentage of the soil. Among the treatments, application of
vermicompost from substrate sawdust + cow manure gained the highest mean of N but all
of the substrates gave no significant difference to the N content of the soil including the
control. Hart, J., Strik, B., White, L. and Yang, W. (2006) stated that sawdust contains
little N so, soil microbes require N for sawdust decomposition, and they are more
efficient at using soil N than plants. These results to the depletion of N to plants due to
further degradation of sawdust added in the formulation of vermicompost which causes
no significant differences from control to the amended plots.






Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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32

Table 12. Total Nitrogen (N) content of the soil as affected by vermicomposts developed
from different substrates









TOTAL NITROGEN
TREATMENT







(%)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




0.0867a
V2
Sawdust Alone





0.1300a
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




0.1467a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




0.1333a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




0.1333a
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







0.094
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


Even there were no significant differences of N content of the soil, there is still an
increase of N by the application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates
after harvest which conform to the study of Azarmi, Giglou and Taleshmikail (2008) that
there is an increase of N by vermicompost application. The slight increase of N content of
the soil could be also due to the nutrient content of the manures added as substrates of the
vermicompost. Brady (1985) revealed that manure is an effective source of nutrients for
most crops and those with relatively high N requirement are most likely to respond to its
application.
Available phosphorus (P) content of the soil.Table 13 shows that from the initial
phosphorus (P) content of the soil at 63.06ppm, it decreased to 23.65ppm on the control
plot. All of the treatments resulted to a decrease P content after harvest, which could be
attributed to plant uptake.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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33

Table 13. Available Phosphorus (P) content of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates








AVAILABLE PHOSPHORUS
TREATMENT







(ppm)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




23.65c
V2
Sawdust Alone





21.48c
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




25.30bc
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




44.71a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




28.99b
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







63.06
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates
significantly affected the P content of the soil. Application of vermicompost from
substrate sawdust + hog manure has the highest mean of 44.71ppm P which differed to
the other treatments.
In relation to the vermicomposts analysis of Aboen (2009) (Table 2)
vermicompost from sawdust alone has the lowest P content which matches the results of
the study but sawdust + horse manure in vermicompost analysis has the highest P content
which does not match the result of the study which is probably due to the incorporation of
the vermicompost to the soil and the further decomposition caused by microorganisms.
Exchangeable potassium (K) content of the soil. Generally, all of the amended
plots showed an increase in K content after harvesting the lettuce crop (Table 14). Initial
potassium (K) content of the soil at 239ppm is higher than the control with 170.8ppm
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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34

which indicates the decrease of K content of the soil which could be attributed to plant
uptake of K.

Table 14. Exchangeable Potassium (K) content of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates








EXCHANGEABLE POTASSIUM
TREATMENT







(ppm)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




170.8c
V2
Sawdust Alone





268.5b
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




265.7b
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




232.7bc
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




393.2a
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







239.0
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates
significantly affected the K content of the soil after harvest. Application of vermicompost
from substrate sawdust + horse manure resulted to a highest mean of 393.2ppm which is
higher than the initial whereas the control showed the least, even lower than the initial.
This could be caused by released of K by the substrates and the uptake of K by the plants.
In comparison, other substrates varied from substrate sawdust + horse manure they are
significantly higher than the control.
Cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil. From the initial CEC of the soil at
0.16m.e./100gsoil, all the treatment plots showed an increase in their CEC including the
control (Table 15).
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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35

Table 15. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates










CEC
TREATMENT





(m.e./100gsoil)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




3.54c
V2
Sawdust Alone





9.60b
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




15.40a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




4.07c
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




1.63c
_____________________________________________________________
Initial Value







0.16
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates
significantly affected the CEC of the soil. Application of vermicompost from substrate
sawdust + cow manure has the highest mean which differs with the other substrates. The
lowest CEC of 1.63m.e./100gsoil was gained from the application of vermicompost
developed from substrates sawdust + horse manure.
Return on investment. The ROI of Lettuce production using vermicomposts
developed from different substrates is presented in Table 16. Application of
vermicompost from sawdust + hog manure had the highest ROI of 12.57%. Among the
various vermicomposts formulations, application of vermicompost from sawdust + horse
manure had the lowest ROI of -6.40%. Among the amended plots, the highest ROI was
obtained from the unfertilized soil of 93.59%. This results means that for every peso
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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36

investment there is 12.57 centavo returned for the application of vemicompost developed
from sawdust + hog manure, - 6.40 centavo loss for the application of sawdust + horse
manure, and 93.59 centavo returned for the unfertilized plot. This result implies that no
fertilization gained more pesos; however cost of vermicompost contributed to the
decreased ROI.
The high ROI of the unfertilized plot could be the result of presently available
nutrients in the soil after planting. Upon further cropping, nutrients could be depleted by

Table 16. Return on investment (ROI) of lettuce production as affected by
vermicomposts developed from different substrates (15 m2)

PRODUCTON COST (Php)




TREATMENTS CONTROL SAWDUST SAWDUST + SAWDUST + SAWDUST +
COW HOG HORSE
MANURE MANURE MANURE
Expenses (Php)

Cleaning

20

20

20

20

20
Land
Preparation
20

20

20

20

20
Planting

10

10

10

10

10
Watering

30

30

30

30

30
Hill-up

10

10

10

10

10
Weeding

30

30

30

30

30
Tractor

22.50
22.50
22.50
22.50
22.50
Seed (Romaine)
36

36

36

36

36
Vermicompost
Fertilizer



300
300
300
300
________________________________________________________________________
Total Expenses
178.5
478.5
478.5
478.5
478.5
________________________________________________________________________
Gross Income
137.36
198.73
219.19
178.24
195.81
________________________________________________________________________
ROI

93.59
7.95
- 4.70
12.57
- 6.40

Prevailing price is Php 25.00/kilogram



Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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37

plant uptake so the application of organic amendments especially vermicompost
developed from substrate sawdust + hog manure can rectify this problem.

Potato

Yield Parameters

Marketable yield. The application of vermicomposts formulations and sawdust
alone significantly affected the marketable yield per plot (Table 17). The application of
vermicomposts developed from substrates sawdust + cow manure, sawdust, sawdust +
horse manure gains the highest means at 2.09kg/plot, 1.89kg/plot, and 1.86kg/plot,
respectively. Plants fertilized with vermicompost from substrate sawdust + hog manure
yielded a mean of 1.70kg/plot which was the lowest among the amended plots.

Table 17. Marketable yield of potato as affected by vermicomposts developed from
different substrates





MARKETABLE
YIELD
TREATMENT


(kg/5m2)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




1.31b

V2
Sawdust Alone





1.89a

V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




2.09a

V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




1.70ab

V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




1.86a

Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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38

Non-marketable yield. The application of vermicomposts developed from
different substrates had a highly significant effect on the non-marketable yield.
Vermicompost formulation using sawdust + cow manure which produced the highest
marketable yield produced the lowest non-marketable yield (Table 18).
Among the amended plots, those applied with vermicompost developed from
sawdust + horse manure as substrate yielded the heaviest non-marketable tuber yield of
0.38kg/5m2 which was significantly higher than the other treatments.
Total yield of potato. The different vermicomposts formulations significantly
increased the total yield of potato (Table 19). The application of vermicomposts from
substrate sawdust + cow manure and vermicompost from sawdust + horse manure
produced the highest mean yield while the lowest mean yield among the vermicomposts
formulations was obtained from substrate sawdust + hog manure. The unfertilized plot

Table 18. Non-marketable yield of potato as affected by vermicomposts developed from
different substrates





NON-MARKETABLE
YIELD
TREATMENT


(kg/5m2)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




0.21b

V2
Sawdust Alone





0.25b

V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




0.21b

V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




0.25b

V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




0.38a


Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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39

Table 19. Total yield of potato as affected by vermicomposts developed from different
substrates





TOTAL
YIELD
TREATMENT


(t/ha)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




2.95b
V2
Sawdust Alone





4.23a
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




4.73a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




4.12a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




4.73a

Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


(control) produced the lowest mean yield which proves the effect of vermicompost in
improving yield.
Even though the vermicomposts developed from different substrates significantly
affected the total yield of potato, the total yield is still low. This may resulted to the
longer days during the conducted of the study wherein longer days results to a lower
yield because potato requires shorter days to produce a higher yield.

Quality Parameter


Dry matter content (DMC) of potato. Vermicompost formulation using sawdust +
hog manure as substrate significantly produced tubers with higher DMC (Table 20). The
DMC of 21.22% from vermicompost developed from sawdust + hog manure was
significantly different from that of the control and vermicompost from sawdust + horse
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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40

Table 20. Dry matter content (DMC) of potato as affected by vermicomposts developed
from different substrates










DMC
TREATMENT







(%)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




19.66bc
V2
Sawdust Alone





20.79ab
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




20.64abc
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




21.22a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




19.58c

Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


manure which had the DMC of 19.66% and 19.58%, respectively. The use of this organic
fertilizer can enhance the processing quality of potatoes.

Physical Properties of the Soil after Harvest

Bulk density (Db) of the soil. The initial bulk density of the soil was higher at
1.22g/cm3 compared to the values gathered after harvest (Final) (Table 21). The decrease
in Db could be attributed to the incorporation of organic matter like the vermicompost.
Tillage could be also a factor since during tillage; soils are cultivated and turned upside
down especially the use of a tractor wherein it causes the soil to become loose for
planting.
The bulk densities of the soil were not affected by the application of
vermicompost developed from different substrates. The application of vermicomposts

Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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41

Table 21. Bulk density (Db) of the soil as affected by vermicomposts developed from
different substrates










Db
TREATMENT






(g/cm3)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




1.15a
V2
Sawdust Alone





1.17a
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




1.15a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




1.14a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




1.13a
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







1.22
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.

developed from sawdust + hog manure and sawdust + horse manure with means of 1.14
and 1.13g/cm3 shows a slight decrease of bulk density. Application of vermicompost
from sawdust + cow manure with a mean of 1.15g/cm3 is the same with the unfertilized
plot (control) and application vermicompost from sawdust with a mean of 1.17g/cm3 was
slightly higher as compared to the control. The increasing and decreasing trend of Db
could be due to the application of the vermicomposts developed from different substrates.
Water holding capacity (WHC) of the soil. The initial water holding capacity
(WHC) from amended plots was a little bit higher compared to the control (Table 22).
While all plots applied with vermicomposts formulations resulted to higher WHC
compared to the initial.


Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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42

Table 22. Water holding capacity (WHC) of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates










WHC
TREATMENT






(mL/g)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




0.68b
V2
Sawdust Alone





0.72ab
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




0.74ab
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




0.73ab
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




0.75a
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







0.68
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.

The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates
significantly affected the WHC of the soil. Plots applied with vermicompost from
substrate sawdust + horse manure have the highest mean of 0.75mL/g while
vermicompost from substrates sawdust + cow manure, sawdust + hog manure and
sawdust alone differed. It can be noted that there is an increase of WHC with the
application of vermicompost developed from different substrates. Pittaway (2001) as
cited by Anas (2008) declared that vermicompost have a very high water holding
capacity. Brady (1984) stated that humus has a high adsorptive capacity for water which
intensifies the disruptive effect of temperature changes and moisture fluctuations.




Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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43

Chemical Properties of the Soil After Harvest


Final soil pH. The initial soil pH was higher compared to the final pH gathered
after potato harvest (Table 23). The decrease of pH from initial compared to the
unfertilized plot could be due to the precipitation which brings about acid rain during the
conduct of the study.
Application of vermicomposts formulations significantly affected the final soil
pH. A higher pH of soils applied with vermicomposts formulations as compared to the
control was noted. Application of vermicompost developed from substrate sawdust + hog
manure has the highest mean pH of 6.03 which differed from the other vermicomposts
formulations. The same trend was observed from the lettuce experiment, which
emphasizes the role of plant absorption in its effect on soil pH.

Table 23. Final Soil pH as affected by vermicomposts developed from different
substrates











TREATMENT






SOIL pH

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




5.6c
V2
Sawdust Alone





5.7bc
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




5.7bc
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




6.0a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




5.8b
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







6.5
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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44

Organic matter (OM) content of the soil. Soil analysis as revealed in Table 24
shows that the final OM content has increased from the initial of 1.88% to a range of
2.06% to 2.49%. This could be attributed to the application of vermicompost and also to
the incorporation of some organic matters from weeds during tillage.
The vermicomposts developed from different substrates significantly affected the
OM content of the soil. Unfertilized plot (control) has the lowest mean compared to the
amended plots which also indicates that there is an increase of OM on the application of
vermicompost from the different substrates. Application of vermicomposts from substrate
sawdust + hog manure and sawdust + cow manure gained the highest OM content at
2.490% and 2.360%, respectively. The application of the other vermicomposts
formulations did not differ significantly to the control. The increase in OM is due largely

Table 24. Organic matter content (OM) of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates










OM
TREATMENT






(%)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




2.06b
V2
Sawdust Alone





2.27ab
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




2.36a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




2.49a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




2.26ab
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







1.88
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.

Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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45

on the application of vermicomposts. The castings is rich in water soluble plant nutrients,
and contains more than 50 % more humus than what is normally found in the topsoil
(Bhawan, 2002).
Total nitrogen (N) content of the soil. From the initial N content of the soil, an
increase in N content was noted as compared to the to the final soil N content including
the control (unfertilized) plot (Table 25).
The vermicomposts developed from different substrates significantly affected the
Nitrogen content of the soil after harvest. Unfertilized plot (control) has the lowest mean
as compared to the plots applied with vermicomposts which indicate the increase of N
with the application of different amendments. Plots applied with vermicomposts from
sawdust + hog manure and sawdust + cow manure with means 0.1245% and 0.1180%,

Table 25. Total Nitrogen (N) content of the soil as affected by vermicomposts developed
from different substrates










TOTAL NITROGEN
TREATMENT







(%)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




0.1028b
V2
Sawdust Alone





0.1135ab
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




0.1180a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




0.1245a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




0.1128ab
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value






0.094
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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46

respectively contained higher nitrogen. The increase in nitrogen content of the soil
through the application of vermicompost can be attributed by the chemical characteristic
of vermicompost that it contains five times the available nitrogen.
There is a significant effect of N in potato research that could be due to further
decomposition of sawdust (due to longer crop maturity) as compared to the lettuce
research (shorter maturity) which is not significantly affected by N. Harkin, (1969) stated
when wood fines are mixed into the soil, bacterial action decomposes the cellulosic
portion of the wood within 2 months to a year, depending on soil structure and
consistency, temperature, and moisture.
Available phosphorus (P) content of the soil. There was an increase in the
phosphorus (P) content of the soil from initial which is 63.06ppm to a range of 105.1ppm
(lowest among the substrates) to 140.3ppm (highest among the substrates) (Table 26).

Table 26. Available Phosphorus (P) content of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates








AVAILABLE PHOSPHORUS
TREATMENT






(ppm)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




126.0ab
V2
Sawdust Alone





128.8ab
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




126.9ab
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




140.3a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




105.1b
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







63.06
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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47

The vermicomposts developed from different substrates used in the treatments did
not significantly affected the P content of the soil. However, application of vermicompost
from substrate sawdust + hog manure showed the highest P content of 140.3ppm. This
could be attributed to the amendments applied and the favorable pH of the soil treated
with vermicompost from substrate sawdust + hog manure which has the highest pH at
6.03. The maximum availability of P generally occur at pH 6-7 and heavy application of
OM such as manure, plant residues and etc., to soil with high pH not only supplies P but
OM decomposition provides acidic compounds which increase availability of mineral
forms of P in the soil.
According to (Brady and Weil, 1996) Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulfur and
micronutrients are stored as constituents of soil organic matter until released by
mineralization. Furthermore, organic acids associated with humus also accelerate the
release of nutrient element from mineral structure.
Exchangeable potassium (K) content of the soil.Soil Potassium contents after potato
harvest were lower than the initial K content of 239ppm which could be attributed by
plant uptake of available K (Table 27).
The different vermicomposts formulations had no significant effect on the final K
content of the soil. However, the application of vermicompost from sawdust + horse
manure showed the highest K content of 145.8ppm K as compared to the other amended
plots including the control.





Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

48

Table 27. Exchangeable Potassium (K) content of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates








EXCHANGEABLE POTASSIUM
TREATMENT






(ppm)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




102.8a
V2
Sawdust Alone





116.3a
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




111.3a
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




136.7a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




145.8a
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







239.0
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


Cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil. From the initial CEC of
0.16m.e./100gsoil, final CEC increased to a range of 0.21 to 1.08 m.e./100gsoil (Table
28).
The application of vermicomposts formulations significantly increased the CEC
of the soil. Application of vermicompost from substrate sawdust + hog manure gained the
highest CEC at 1.08 m.e/100g soil while the lowest CEC was obtained from the
unfertilized plot (control) with 0.21m.e/100g.








Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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49

Table 28. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates










CEC
TREATMENT






(m.e/100g)

V1
Control (No Fertilizer)




0.21c
V2
Sawdust Alone





0.25c
V3
Sawdust + Cow Manure




0.54b
V4
Sawdust + Hog Manure




1.08a
V5
Sawdust + Horse Manure




0.47b
_____________________________________________________________

Initial Value







0.16
Means with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% level DMRT.


Return on investment. The effect of vermicomposts obtained from different
substrates on the ROI of potato is presented in Table 29. Even though there is a negative
ROI, application of vermicompost from sawdust + cow manure had the highest ROI of -
62.78% among the substrates while the highest ROI was obtained in the unfertilized soil
(control). This results means that for every peso investment there is -62.78 centavo loss
on the application of vermicompost from sawdust + cow manure and -52.47 centavo loss
on the unfertilized soil (control). The low ROI could be the effect of some factors such as
the action of rainfall and typhoons during the month of study.
Even though there is a higher ROI on the control the application or organic
amendments are advisable due to its long term effect on the soil. The accumulation of
organic amendments such as vermicompost on the first year of cropping would reduce
the organic fertilizer application on the following years so the reduction of organic
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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50

amendments would be the reduction of total expenses. Furthermore, the accumulation
also of organic amendments would result also to the accumulations of slowly available
nutrients which cause a long term effect on the production of crops and creating a fertile
soil.

The negative ROI in the vermicomposts amended plots is due mainly on the high
cost and high application rate of vermicompost. The rate of application at 20t/ha is
needed when it is the sole source of nutrients and when the soil is on its first stages
toward organic production or when the soil fertility is not yet improved.

Table 29. Return on investment (ROI) of potato production as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates (15 m2)

PRODUCTON COST (Php)




TREATMENTS CONTROL SAWDUST SAWDUST + SAWDUST + SAWDUST +
COW HOG HORSE
MANURE MANURE MANURE
Expenses (Php)

Cleaning

20

20

20

20

20
Land
Preparation
20

20

20

20

20
Planting

10

10

10

10

10
Watering

25

25

25

25

25
Hill-up

10

10

10

10

10
Weeding

30

30

30

30

30
Tractor

30

30

30

30

30
Seed tubers
(potato)

144
144
144
144
144
Vermicompost
Fertilizer



300
300
300
300
________________________________________________________________________
Total Expenses
289
589
589
589
589
________________________________________________________________________
Gross Income
137.36
198.73
219.19
178.24
195.81
________________________________________________________________________
ROI

- 52.47
- 66.26
- 62.78
- 69.74
- 66.76

Prevailing price is Php 35.00/kilogram

Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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51

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS


Summary

There were two sets of experimental trials to determine the influence of
vermicompost developed from different substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cv.
Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao including its effects on soil
properties. The study especifically aimed to (1) determine the influence of vermicompost
developed from different substrates to the yield and quality of lettuce and potato; (2)
determine the influence of vermicompost developed from different substrates on some
physical and chemical properties of soil.

The study was conducted at the experimental area of Department of Soil Science,
College of Agriculture, Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet from January
2008 to July 2009.
Influence of vermicomposts developed from different substrates on the growth
and yield of lettuce. Vermicomposts application obtained from different substrates did
not affect the initial height, final height, yield, shelf life, and weight loss of lettuce.
Influence of vermicomposts developed from different substrates on some physical
properties of soil under lettuce production. The vermicomposts developed from different
substrates affected the bulk density of the soil while it did not affect the water holding
capacity of the soil after harvest.
Influence of vermicomposts developed from different substrates on some
chemical properties of soil under lettuce production. Even though vermicomposts from
different substrates did not affect the pH of the soil, it affected the OM, N, P, K, and CEC
of the soil after harvest.
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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52

Influence of vermicomposts developed from different substrates on the growth
and yield of potato. Vermicomposts application obtained from different substrates
affected the marketable yield, non-marketable yield, total yield, and dry matter yield of
potato.
Influence of vermicomposts developed from different substrates on some physical
properties of soil under potato production. The vermicomposts derived from different
substrates did not affect the bulk density of the soil while it affected the water holding
capacity of the soil after harvest.
Influence of vermicomposts developed from different substrates on some
chemical properties of soil under potato production. Vermicomposts obtained from
different substrates affected the soil pH, OM, N, and CEC while it did not affect the P
and K content of the soil.

Conclusion
Lettuce
The vermicomposts from different substrates did not affect the yield and quality
of lettuce but it provides the following data.
The vermicomposts from different substrates affected Db, OM, N, P, K, and CEC
of the soil. Application of vermicompost with sawdust + cow manure increased in OM, N
content, and CEC after harvest; application of vermicompost with sawdust + hog manure
increased in P content of the soil after harvest; and application of vermicompost with
sawdust + horse manure increased in K content of the soil after harvest.

The application of vermicomposts developed from different substrates has a good
effect on some physical and chemical properties of the soil while in contributes to
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

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53

changes in growth, quality and yield of lettuce. The vermicomposts formulations
especially the addition of manure gave more progressive results in lettuce production.
Potato

The vermicomposts from different substrates affected the yield and quality of
potato providing more the following data.
The vermicomposts from different substrates affected the WHC, pH, OM, N, and
CEC of the soil. Application of vermicompost from sawdust + hog manure increased pH,
OM and N content of the soil after harvest; Application of vermicompost with sawdust +
horse manure increased WHC of the soil after harvest.

In comparison with the lettuce study application of the vermicomposts
formulations gave a desirable result to some physical, chemical properties of soil and also
has a good effect to quality and yield of potato. The application mainly of vermicomposts
developed from sawdust + manure gave a significant result. Vermicomposts are good soil
amendments especially the addition of manure in its formulation.

Recommendations

Based on the results findings and conclusion, the following recommendations
were drawn:

1. Vermicomposts derived from different mixtures of sawdust and manure can be
used for improving the yield and quality of potato (Solibao C.V.)

2. Application of vermicomposts obtained from the different mixture is
recommended for the improvement of soil physical and chemical properties.

3. A follow-up study is also recommended to verify the results and findings.

Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

LITERATURE CITED

ABOEN, R. Jr. 2009. Vermicompost production as influenced by different animal
manure and earthworm densities. BS Thesis BSU, La Trinidad, Benguet.

ANAS, R.C. 2008. Influence of activator on chicken manure utilization by garden pea
and on some properties of the soil. BS Thesis BSU, La Trinidad, Benguet.

AZARMI, R., M.T.GIGLOU, and R.D. TALESHMIKAIL,. 2008. Influence
Vermicompost on Soil Chemical and Physical Properties in Tomato
(Lycopersicume sculentum) Field. Retrieved 18 August 2008 from:
http://www.academicjournals.org/ajb/PDF/pdf2008/18july/Azarmi%et%20al.pdf

BHAWAN, J. 2002. Pyramid Vermicast. The Pyramid Farm. Rajusthan India.

BRADY, N. C., and R. R. WEIL. 1996. The Nature and Properties of Soils. Prentice
Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. Pp. 383,395

BRADY, N. C. 1984. The Nature and Properties of Soils. New York.

BRADY, N. C. 1985. The Nature and Properties of Soils. New York.

EDWARDS, C. A. and N. Q. ARANCON. 2007. The Science of Vermiculture:
Earthworms in Organic Waste Management. Retrieved 18 September 2008 from:
http://www.biosci.ohiostate.edu/~soilecol/Earthworms%20and%20Vermiculture
%20Publications/THE%20SCIENCE%20OF%20VERMICULTURE.pdf

FUNDERBERG, E. 2001. What is Vermicompost? Retrieved 14 August 2008 from:
http://www.noble.org/Ag/Soils/OrganicMatter/Index.htm

HART, J., B.STRIK, L. WHITE, and W. YANG. 2006. Nutrient Management for
Blueberries
in
Oregon.
Retrieved
October
18,
2009
from
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8918.pdf

HARKIN, J. M. 1969. Uses for Sawdust, Shavings, and Waste Chips. Retrieved October
18, 2009 from http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn208.pdf

KALE, R. D. 2003. Research on Earthworms in India with Special Reference to
Vermiculture.
Retrieved
14
August
2008
from:
http://www.wormsphilippines.com/docs/Rsearch%20on%Earthworm%20in%Indi
a%20By%20Dr.%20Kale.htm

LAGMAN, C. Jr. A. 2003. Performance of selected horticultural crop using formulated
vermicompost as growing medium. BS Thesis BSU, La Trinidad, Benguet.

Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

55

MADER, S. S. 2004. Biology Book. 8th Ed. New York: Mc Graw Hill Company, Inc. P.
463

METZGER, J. 1998. Growing Plants with Worm Poop: Vermicompost as an
Amendment for Soil less Media. Retrieved 14 August 2008 from:

http://floriculture.osu.edu/archive/apr98/vermicom.html

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service 1997. Earthworm Castings as a Plant
Growth Media. NC State University. Retrieved 18 August 2008 from:
http://www.bae,ncsu.edu/topic/vermicomposting/vermiculture/castings.html

RODALE, C. 2000. Rodale’s All-new Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. An
Illustrated Guide to Organic Gardening Composting. Retrieved August 14, 2008
from www.plantea.com/manure.htm

SHIRALIPOUR, A. 2008. Compost Utilization and Fate of Heavy Metals and Organic

Contaminants in Vegetable Production. Retrieved 18 August 2008 from:

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/michel/effectonsoilqua.htm

SUBLER, S., EDWARDS, C. A. AND METZGER, J. 1998. Comparing Vermicompost

and
Compost.
Retrieved
18
August
2008
from:

http://www.jetcompost.com.reference/july98.htm

Wikipedia. 2008. Organic Fertilizer. Retrieved on 18 August 2008 from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_fertilizer

Wikipedia. 2008. Vermicompost. Retrieved on 18 August 2008 from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermicompost

WEIR, W. W. 1946. Productive Soils. Copyright, 1946, by J. B. Lippincott Company.
















Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

56


APPENDICES

LETTUCE

APPENDIX TABLE 1. Initial plant height (cm)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

10.22
11.09
11.33
32.64
10.88


V2

10.70
12.26
11.16
34.12
11.37


V3

12.09
11.05
8.86
32.00
10.67


V4

10.34
12.01
9.60
31.95
10.65


V5

9.72
11.94
8.47
30.13
10.04

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
53.07
58.35
49.42
140.84
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
10.61
11.67
9.88


10.72













ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
8.063
4.032

TREATMENT 4
2.754
0.689 0.643ns
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
8.567
1.071
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
19.384

ns - not significant

CV = 9.65 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

57

APPENDIX TABLE 2. Final plant height (cm)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

20.21
19.41
21.40
61.02
20.34


V2

19.17
21.09
21.37
61.63
20.54


V3

21.39
20.17
21.59
63.15
21.05


V4

20.13
21.98
21.98
63.29
21.10


V5

20.10
19.97
21.63
61.70
20.57

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
101.00
101.82
107.97
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
20.20
20.36
21.59

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
5.805 2.903

TREATMENT 4
1.35 0.337
0.7343ns 3.84 7.01

ERROR
8
3.676 0.460
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
10.831

ns - not significant

CV = 3.27 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

58

APPENDIX TABLE 3. Total yield (t/ha)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

6.22
13.46
13.80
33.48
11.16


V2

12.08
21.04
16.90
50.02
16.67


V3

13.12
15.88
15.18
44.18
14.73


V4

16.90
18.98
16.28
52.16
17.39


V5

13.12
13.80
16.56
43.48
14.49

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
61.44
83.16
78.72
223.32
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
12.29
16.63
15.74


14.89

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
52.67 26.34



TREATMENT 4
70.53 17.63 3.62ns 3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
38.97 4.87
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
162.17

ns - not significant

CV = 14.82 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

59

APPENDIX TABLE 4. Shelf-life (days)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

7

7

6

20

6.67


V2

6

6

6

18

6.00


V3

7

6

6

19

6.33


V4

6

6

6

18

6.00


V5

7

6

6

19

6.33

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
33

31

30

94
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
6.6

6.2

6.0



6.3

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.933 0.467

TREATMENT 4
0.933 0.233
1.75ns 3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
1.067 0.133
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
2.933

ns - not significant

CV = 5.83 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

60

APPENDIX TABLE 5. Weight loss (%)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

99

144
159
402
134.00


V2

115
214
140
469
156.33


V3

150
166
169
485
161.67


V4

175
195
219
589
196.33


V5

144
156
176
476
158.67

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
683
875
863
2421
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
136.60
175.00
172.60


161.4

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
4627.2000
2313.600


TREATMENT 4
6012.9333
1503.233 2.7802ns 3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
4325.4670
540.683
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14 14965.6000

ns - not significant

CV = 14.41 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

61

APPENDIX TABLE 6. Bulk density (Db) of the soil (g/cm3)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

1.13
1.15
1.16
3.44
1.15


V2

1.04
1.08
0.9

3.02
1.01



V3

1.11
1.11
1.11
3.33
1.11


V4

1.12
1.14
1.15
3.41
1.14


V5

1.14
1.09
1.11
3.34
1.11

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
5.54
5.57
5.43
16.54
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
1.11
1.11
1.09


1.10

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK
2
0.002 0.001


TREATMENT 4
0.037 0.009
4.500*
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.018 0.002
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.057

* - significant


CV = 4.29 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

62

APPENDIX TABLE 7. Water holding capacity (WHC) of the soil (mL/g)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1
0.69

0.66
0.71
2.06
0.69


V2
0.76

0.77
0.67
2.20
0.73


V3
0.74

0.77
0.71
2.22
0.74


V4
0.74

0.71
0.74
2.19
0.73


V5
0.75

0.75
0.75
2.25
0.75

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 3.68

3.66
3.58
10.92
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN 0.74

0.73
0.72


0.73

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK
2
0.001
0.001

TREATMENT 4
0.007
0.002 2.0000ns 3.84
7.01

ERROR 8
0.009
0.001
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.017

ns - not significant

CV = 4.51 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

63

APPENDIX TABLE 8. Final soil pH











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

6.2

6.1

6.3

18.6
6.2


V2

6.7

6.2

6.3

19.2
6.4


V3

6.6

6.1

6.3

19.0
6.3


V4

6.5

6.4

6.5

19.4
6.5



V5

6.4

6.2

6.3

18.9
6.3

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
32.4
31.0
31.7
95.1

_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
6.5

6.2

6.3



6.3

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK
2
0.196
0.098

TREATMENT 4
0.123
0.031 2.0667ns 3.84
7.01

ERROR 8
0.117
0.015
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.436

ns - not significant

CV = 1.91 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

64

APPENDIX TABLE 9. Organic matter (OM) content of the soil (%)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

1.24
1.87
2.15
5.26
1.75


V2

2.81
2.64
2.44
7.89
2.63


V3

2.87
2.87
3.19
8.93
2.98


V4

2.53
2.56
2.76
7.85
2.62


V5

2.10
2.91
2.69
7.7

2.57

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
11.55
12.85
13.23
37.63
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
2.31
2.57
2.65


7.53

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK
2
0.31
0.155

TREATMENT 4
2.458
0.615 7.6875** 3.84 7.01

ERROR
8
0.643
0.080
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
3.411

** - highly significant

CV = 11.30 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

65

APPENDIX TABLE 10. Total Nitrogen (N) content of the soil (%)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

0.06
0.09
0.11
0.26
0.09


V2

0.14
0.13
0.12
0.39
0.13


V3

0.14
0.14
0.16
0.44
0.15


V4

0.13
0.13
0.14
0.40
0.13


V5

0.11
0.15
0.14
0.40
0.13

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
0.58
0.64
0.67
1.89
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
0.12
0.13
0.13


0.13

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK
2
0.001 0.000


TREATMENT 4
0.006 0.002
6.6667**
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.002 0.000

________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.009

** - highly significant

CV = 11.99 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

66

APPENDIX TABLE 11. Available Phosphorus (P) content of the soil (ppm)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

23.65
24.56
22.74
70.95
23.65


V2

21.48
19.72
23.23
64.43
21.48


V3

25.34
23.16
27.51
76.01
25.30


V4

42.11
47.30
44.71
134.12
44.71


V5

32.49
25.48
28.99
86.96
28.99

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
145.07
140.22
147.18
432.47
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
29.01
28.04
29.44


28.83

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK
2
4.975
2.487

TREATMENT 4
1036.303 259.076 41.5245** 3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
49.913
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
1091.190

** - highly significant


CV = 8.67 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

67

APPENDIX TABLE 12. Exchangeable Potassium (K) content of the soil (ppm)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

164.50
164.50
183.50
512.50
170.83


V2

227.00
216.00
362.50
805.50
268.50


V3

306.00
252.00
239.00
797.00
265.67


V4

194.00
252.00
252.00
698.00
232.67


V5

393.50
408.00
378.00
1179.50
393.17

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
1285.00
1292.50
1415.00
3992.5
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
257.00
258.50 283.00


266.17

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
2130.833 1065.417

TREATMENT 4
79036.167 19759.042 9.4985** 3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
16641.833 2080.229
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
97808.833

** - highly significant


CV = 17.14 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

68

APPENDIX TABLE 13. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil (m.e/100g soil)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

3.54
3.70
3.37
10.61
3.54


V2

9.30
9.90
9.60
28.80
9.60


V3

17.49
15.40
13.31
46.20
15.40


V4

4.57
3.57
4.07
12.21
4.07


V5

0.30
0.52
0.07
0.89
0.29

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
35.2
33.09
30.42
98.71
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
7.04
6.62
6.08


6.58

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.455 0.228

TREATMENT 4
379.86
94.965 42.2772** 3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
17.97
2.246
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
398.285

** - highly significant


CV = 21.89 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

69

Table 14. Return on investment (ROI) of lettuce production as affected by
vermicomposts developed from different substrates (15 m2)

PRODUCTON COST (Php)




TREATMENTS CONTROL SAWDUST SAWDUST + SAWDUST + SAWDUST +
COW HOG HORSE
MANURE MANURE MANURE
Expenses (Php)

Cleaning

20

20

20

20

20
Land
Preparation
20

20

20

20

20
Planting

10

10

10

10

10
Watering

30

30

30

30

30
Hill-up

10

10

10

10

10
Weeding

30

30

30

30

30
Tractor

22.50
22.50
22.50
22.50
22.50
Seed (Romaine)
36

36

36

36

36
Vermicompost
Fertilizer



300
300
300
300
________________________________________________________________________
Total Expenses
178.5
478.5
478.5
478.5
478.5
________________________________________________________________________
Gross Income
137.36
198.73
219.19
178.24
195.81
________________________________________________________________________
ROI

93.59
7.95
- 4.70
12.57
- 6.40

Prevailing price is Php 25.00/kilogram



















Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

70

POTATO

APPENDIX TABLE 15. Marketable yield of potato (kg/5m2)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

1.00
1.25
1.67
3.92
1.31


V2

1.75
1.84
2.09
5.68
1.89


V3

2.00
1.92
2.34
6.26
2.09


V4

1.34
1.42
2.34
5.10
1.70



V5

1.84
2.00
1.75
5.59
1.86

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
7.93
8.43
10.19
26.55
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
1.59
1.69
2.04


1.77















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.564 0.282

TREATMENT 4
1.031 0.258
4.3255*
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.477 0.477

________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
2.072

* - significant


CV = 13.79 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

71

APPENDIX TABLE 16. Non-marketable yield of potato (kg/5m2)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

0.21
0.25
0.17
0.63
0.21


V2

0.25
0.25
0.25
0.75
0.25


V3

0.25
0.21
0.17
0.63
0.21


V4

0.25
0.25
0.25
0.75
0.25


V5

0.33
0.38
0.42
1.13
0.38

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
1.29
1.34
1.26
3.89
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
0.26
0.27
0.25


0.26

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.0007 0.0004

TREATMENT 4
0.0564 0.0141 11.75** 3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.0098 0.0012
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.0669

** - highly significant


CV = 13.36 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

72

APPENDIX TABLE 17. Total yield (t/ha)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

2.16
3.00
3.68
8.84
2.95


V2

3.84
4.18
4.68
12.70
4.23


V3

4.50
4.68
5.02
14.20
4.73


V4

3.84
3.34
5.18
12.36
4.12


V5

4.34
5.50
4.34
14.18
4.73

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
18.68
20.70
22.90
62.28
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
3.74
4.14
4.58


4.15

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
1.781 0.8905

TREATMENT 4
6.386 1.5965 4.9466*
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
2.582 0.32275
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
10.749

* - significant

CV = 13.68 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

73

APPENDIX TABLE 18. Dry matter content (DMC) of potato (%)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

19.15
19.15
20.67
58.97
19.66



V2

20.55
19.64
22.18
62.37
20.79


V3

20.23
19.18
22.52
61.93
20.64


V4

20.79
21.22
21.66
63.67
21.22


V5

19.78
18.42
20.55
58.75
19.58

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
100.50
97.61
107.58
305.69
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
20.10
19.52
21.52


20.38

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
10.525 5.263

TREATMENT 4
6.320 1.58
4.4134*
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
2.866 0.358
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
19.711

* - significant

CV = 2.94 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

74

APPENDIX TABLE 19. Bulk density (Db) of the soil (g/cm3)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

1.23
1.10
1.13
3.46
1.15


V2

1.20
1.15
1.16
3.51
1.17


V3

1.17
1.18
1.11
3.46
1.15


V4

1.15
1.17
1.11
3.42
1.14


V5

1.12
1.16
1.12
3.40
1.13

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
5.87
5.76
5.62
17.25
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
1.17
1.15
1.12


1.15

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.006 0.003


TREATMENT 4
0.002 0.0005
0.5ns
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.011 0.001
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.02

ns - not significant

CV = 3.21 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

75

APPENDIX TABLE 20. Water holding capacity (WHC) of the soil (mL/g)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

0.69
0.66
0.68
2.03
0.68


V2

0.76
0.72
0.67
2.15
0.72


V3

0.74
0.77
0.71
2.22
0.74


V4

0.74
0.71
0.73
2.18
0.73


V5

0.75
0.75
0.75
2.25
0.75

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
3.68
3.61
3.54
10.83
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
0.74
0.72
0.71


0.72

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.002 0.001


TREATMENT 4
0.010 0.002
3.9835*
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.005 0.001
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.016

* - significant

CV = 3.41 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

76

APPENDIX TABLE 21. Final soil pH











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

5.5

5.4

5.9

16.8
5.6



V2

5.6

5.5

5.9

17.0
5.7


V3

5.7

5.5

5.9

17.1
5.7


V4

6.0

6.0

6.1

18.1
6.0



V5

5.7

5.8

6.0

17.5
5.8

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
28.5
28.2
29.8
86.5
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
5.7

5.6

5.9



5.7

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.289 0.145


TREATMENT 4
0.353 0.088
9.7778**
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.071 0.009
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.713

** - highly significant


CV = 1.63 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

77

APPENDIX TABLE 22. Organic matter (OM) content of the soil (%)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

1.96
2.05
2.16
6.17
2.06



V2

2.44
2.27
2.10
6.81
2.27


V3

2.40
2.38
2.30
7.08
2.36


V4

2.55
2.58
2.34
7.47
2.49


V5

2.13
2.30
2.34
6.77
2.26

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
11.48
11.58
11.24
34.30
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
2.30
2.32
2.25


2.29

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.012 0.006

TREATMENT 4
0.302 0.076
4.75*
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.130 0.016
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.445

* - significant

CV = 5.58 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

78

APPENDIX TABLE 23. Total Nitrogen (N) content of the soil (%)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

0.0980 0.1025
0.1080
0.3085
0.1028


V2

0.1220
0.1135
0.1050
0.3405
0.1135


V3

0.1200
0.1190
0.1150
0.3540
0.1180


V4

0.1275
0.1290
0.1170
0.3735
0.1245


V5

0.1065
0.1150
0.1170
0.3385
0.1128

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
0.5740
0.5790
0.5620
1.7150
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
0.1148
0.1158
0.1124


0.1143

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.00002 0.00001

TREATMENT 4
0.0007 0.0002 4.000*
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.0004 0.00005
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
0.0011

* - significant

CV = 6.06 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

79

APPENDIX TABLE 24. Available Phosphorus (P) content of the soil (ppm)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

117.59
129.87
130.57
378.03
126.01


V2

106.53
121.45
152.33
380.31
126.77


V3

115.13
153.07
112.50
380.70
126.90



V4

117.23
152.33
151.28
420.84
140.28


V5

89.51
114.78
111.09
315.38
105.13

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
545.99
671.50
657.77
1875.26
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
109.198
134.30
131.554


125.02

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
1895.736 947.868

TREATMENT 4
1908.568 477.142 2.5396ns
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
1503.023
187.878
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
5307.327

ns - not significant

CV = 10.96 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

80

APPENDIX TABLE 25. Exchangeable Potassium (K) content of the soil (ppm)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

86.0
100.0
122.5
308.5
102.83


V2

88.5
138.0
122.5
349.0
116.33


V3

86.0
128.5
119.5
334.0
111.33


V4

148.5
145.0
116.5
410.0
136.67


V5

91.5
197.5
148.5
437.5
145.83

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
500.5
709.0
629.5
1839.0
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
100.1
141.8
125.9


122.60

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
4428.9 2214.45

TREATMENT 4
3883.767 970.942 1.6252ns
3.84 7.01

ERROR
8
4779.433 597.429
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
13092.1

ns - not significant

CV = 19 .94 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

81

APPENDIX TABLE 26. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil (m.e/100g soil)











TREATMENTS BLOCK TOTAL MEAN
I II III
________________________________________________________________________



V1

0.21
0.34
0.07
0.62
0.21


V2

0.35
0.25
0.14
0.74
0.25


V3

0.65
0.54
0.43
1.62
0.54


V4

1.15
1.08
1.00
3.23
1.08


V5

0.50
0.43
0.47
1.40
0.47

_______________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
2.86
2.64
2.11
7.61
_______________________________________________________________________
MEAN
0.57
0.53
0.42


0.51

















ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE


SV DF
SS
MS
F VALUE TABULATED F









0.05
0.01
_______________________________________________________________________

BLOCK 2
0.059 0.03


TREATMENT 4
1.456 0.364
78.6542**
3.84
7.01

ERROR
8
0.037 0.005
________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL 14
1.522

** - highly significant


CV = 13.41 %
Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

82

Table 27. Return on investment (ROI) of potato production as affected by vermicomposts
developed from different substrates (15 m2)

PRODUCTON COST (Php)




TREATMENTS CONTROL SAWDUST SAWDUST + SAWDUST + SAWDUST +
COW HOG HORSE
MANURE MANURE MANURE
Expenses (Php)

Cleaning

20

20

20

20

20
Land
Preparation
20

20

20

20

20
Planting

10

10

10

10

10
Watering

25

25

25

25

25
Hill-up

10

10

10

10

10
Weeding

30

30

30

30

30
Tractor

30

30

30

30

30
Seed tubers
(potato)

144
144
144
144
144
Vermicompost
Fertilizer



300
300
300
300
________________________________________________________________________
Total Expenses
289
589
589
589
589
________________________________________________________________________
Gross Income
137.36
198.73
219.19
178.24
195.81
________________________________________________________________________
ROI

- 52.47
- 66.26
- 62.78
- 69.74
- 66.76

Prevailing price is Php 35.00/kilogram




Influence of Vermicomposts Developed from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
cv. Romaine and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao.
ROSADO, DANIEL HECTOR D. OCTOBER 2009

---

Document Outline

• Influence of VermicompostsDeveloped from Different Substrates on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cv. Romaine and Potato(Solanum tuberosum) cv. Solibao
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
  • TABLE OF CONTENTS
  • INTRODUCTION
  • REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
  • MATERIALS AND METHODS
  • RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
  • SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • LITERATURE CITED
  • APPENDICES

---