Efficiency of cow dung based vermi-compost on seed germination and plant growth parameters of Tagetes erectus (Marigold)

Heliyon

Malik Saim Aftab¹  Ghafoor ul Islam²  Summaya Yahya³  Shaukat Ali⁴  Tariq Sultan⁵  Beenish Shahid⁵  Tauseef Tabasum⁶  Saiqa Andleeb⁶  Fayaz Ahmed⁶  Wajid Arshad Abbasi⁶  Irsa Shafique⁶  Abdul Hameed Khan⁶  Farrukh Naeem⁶ 

[1] Corresponding author.;Computational Biology and Data Analysis Lab, Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, King Abdullah Campus, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, 13100, Pakistan;Department of Zoology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan;First Biotech LLC, Lahore, Pakistan;Land Resources Research Institute, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan;Microbial Biotechnology and Vermi-technology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, King Abdullah Campus, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, 13100, Pakistan;

关键词: Vermi-compost;    Marigold;    Seed germination;    Germination media;    Cow dung;    Plant growth parameters;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Vermi-composting is an environmental friendly and economic process to decompose organic waste. The objective of this study was to produce vermi-compost using Eisenia fetida and to investigate the impact of vermi-compost (VC) and organic manure (cow dung) on seed germination, seedlings, and growth parameters of Tagetes erecta. Physio-chemical parameters of vermi-compost and organic manure were recorded. A potting experiment was designed, germination medium containing soil, sand, and various concentrations of vermi-composts. The composition of germinating media was: TO (Sand + Soil), TCC (Sand + Soil + Cow dung), 10% VC (Sand + Soil + 0.1 kg VC), 15% VC (Sand + Soil + 0.15 kg VC), 20% VC (Sand + Soil + 0.2 kg VC), 25% VC (Sand + Soil + 0.25 kg VC), 30% VC (Sand + Soil + 0.3 kg VC), and 35% VC (Sand + Soil + 0.35 kg VC). Seed germination, seedling, vegetative plant growth, and flowering parameters were evaluated in different germinating media. Pre and post-physio-chemical parameters of germination media were also recorded to check their stability and quality. Results showed that 20% VC was effective for the early initiation of seed germination (2.0 ± 0.0 days) and all growth parameters of marigold seedlings. The germination percentage at 20% VC was recorded as 87.5 ± 1.40 %. The best vegetative plant growth and flowering parameters of marigold plants were observed with 35% VC after transplantation. Findings showed that vermi-compost is the best-suited germination and growing media, which not only improved the soil health but also promoted seed germination and plant growth. Our study undoubtedly indicates that vermi-compost is a more encouraging and advantageous bio-fertilizer and can be used as a powerful and effective for immediate marigold production.

【 授权许可】

Unknown