Effect of vermicompost extracts (compost tea and vermiwash) on the vegetative growth of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) under hydroponic conditions.

The use of biological inputs and organic materials to improve the quality of crops and increase production without extension of cultivated lands is a significant issue in hydroponics (soilless culture) culture. In order to evaluate of replacement of vermicompost extracts with chemical compounds in tomato hydroponics system, an experiment was conducted in equipped phytotron at the Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Razi University during 2011-13. A factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The bed of hydroponics phytotron composed of Perlite and Cocopeat. The factors included two cultivars of tomato (Synda & Newton), and four nutrient solution (manure vermiwash, mixed vermiwash, manure compost tea, mixed compost tea), with soil bed as control. The results showed that the effect of cultivar was significant for the traits: leaf number, stem height, leaf dry weight and total dry weight. Also the effect of nutrient solutions and interaction effect between variety and the nutrient solution (variety × solution) were significant for all traits except for root dry weight. The results of qualitative traits analysis of extracts showed that the effect of nutrient solutions for the elements of phosphorus and potassium was not significant but for the other elements there were significant difference at the 1%level of probability. The interaction effect of variety × nutrient solution for qualitative traits showed that the treatment of mixed compost tea, mixed vermiwash) had the highest value for both varieties of Synda and Newton. Furthermore, these results indicated that the factor of time for most traits was significant at the 1% level of probability.