The Effects of Rate and Method of Aerated Compost Tea Application on Yield and Yield component of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) at Burusa, South Western Ethiopia

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is one of the most popular and versatile vegetable in Ethiopia. The yield and quality of tomato at national level is, however, significantly low mainly due to improper fertilization. On the other hand, inorganic fertilizers remain the main yield-augmenting technology in Ethiopia. But unwise use of chemical fertilizer in tomato production could leads to deterioration of soil health and environments also encounter economic loss. Adopting low cost agricultural technology (compost tea) is economically, ecologically and socially feasible to ensure sustainable tomato production receiving prior attention. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted at Burusa, IluAbabor Zone, south western Ethiopia to determine the rate and method of Aerated Compost Tea (ACT) for optimum yield and yield component of tomato during November, 2016 to June 2017. The treatments consisted of two levels application methods (foliar feeding and soil drench) and five levels of application rates (0, 300, 600, 900, 1200 ml pot-1 ). The experiment was laid out using randomized complete design with three replications. Data on phenological, growth, quality, yield and yield components were recorded and subjected to analysis of variance using SAS version 9.3 software. The analysis of variance showed that there were significant (P less than 0.05) differences among application rates and methods of ACT for yield and other parameters considered. Using ACT as soil drench was superior in terms of yield as well as in other important yield components considered. Application rate greater than 300 ml per pot generally showed quit stimulation of growth and yield of tomato. Soil drench of ACT at the rate of 1200 ml per pot was gave the highest yield and all other parameters measured. Soil drench with maximum application rate (1200 ml pot-1 ) resulted considerable yield increment by 187%. Therefore, soil drench at the rate of 1200 ml pot-1 is recommended for maximizing tomato production and also sustains organic tomato production, which is economically and environmentally feasible.