Effect of chemical fertilization and worm leachate on tomato crop production

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of organic and inorganic fertilization on the physiological and productive variables of tomato-mate crops grown in a greenhouse. A completely randomized design was used with four treatments T1 (100% worm leachate), T2 (65% worm leachate + 35% nutrient solution), T3 (50% worm leachate + 50% nutrient solution) and a control (100% nutrient solution). The response variables evaluated were plant growth, yield and fruit size. The results indicated that T3 produced a higher yield of 171.6 t ha⁻¹, being significantly superior to the other treatments in fruit size and weight, while T1 showed nutritional limitations in growth and development. The combination of worm leachate and nutrient solution (T3) reduced the use of chemical fertilizers by 50%, promoting more sustainable agriculture and maintaining high levels of productivity