Impact of Nutrient Management Practices on Growth Parameters, Yield Attributes and Yield of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Abstract

With increasing global concerns about environmental sustainability, nutrient management for tomato production must balance productivity with ecological integrity. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) approaches help to reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers, limit nutrient leaching into groundwater, and build soil organic carbon, thereby promoting long-term soil fertility and environmental health. The present study explores the Impact of nutrient management under natural farming on growth, yield and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Madhya Pradesh, India. The investigation was conducted during the Rabi seasons of 2023–24 and 2024–25 at the research farm of the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Rabindranath Tagore University, Raisen (M.P.), India. The experiment comprised twelve treatments T1 - Control, T2 -100% nutrition by RDF, T3 -50% nutrition by recommended dose of FYM+50% nutrition by fertilizer, T4 -50% nutrition by recommended dose of VC+50%nutrition by fertilizer, T5 -50% nutrition by recommended dose of poultry manure+50%nutrition by fertilizer, T6 -75% nutrition by recommended dose of FYM+25% nutrition by fertilizer, T7 -75% nutrition by recommended dose of VC+25% nutrition by fertilizer, T8 -75% nutrition by recommended dose of poultry manure+25% nutrition by fertilizer, T9 -25% nutrition by recommended dose of FYM+75% nutrition by fertilizer, T10 -25% nutrition by recommended dose of VC+75% nutrition by fertilizer, T11 -25% nutrition by recommended dose of poultry manure+75% nutrition by fertilizer, T12 -Jeevamrit involving various combinations of vermicompost, farmyard manure (FYM), vermiwash, panchgavya, and jeevamrit, arranged in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. Plant protection measures were adopted as per standard recommendations to manage pests and diseases. Five plants were selected randomly from each plot and tagged to record the observations. The growth parameters recorded were plant height (cm) at 30, 60, and 90 DAT, number of branches per plant, days to first flowering, number of flowers per cluster, and number of flower clusters per plant. Among all treatments, T12 (vermicompost + vermiwash + panchgavya + jeevamrit) emerged as the most effective in enhancing growth attributes and yield of tomato. This treatment recorded the maximum plant height (97.13 cm) and number of branches per plant (15.48) at 90 days after transplanting. It also yielded the highest number of fruits per plant (41.65) and fruit diameter (5.93 cm), resulting in a fruit yield of 427.32 q/ha. The results suggest that the integrated use of vermicompost, vermiwash, panchgavya, and jeevamrit under natural farming significantly enhances tomato productivity and profitability, making it a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional practices.