Vermicompost and Vermicompost Leachate Application in Strawberry Production: Impact on Yield and Fruit Quality

Vermicompost and Vermicompost Leachate Application in Strawberry Production: Impact on Yield and Fruit Quality

Recycling organic waste is most important for preserving natural resources. The research objective was to quantify the effect of the application of vermicompost and vermicompost leachate on the yield and quality of strawberries and compare it with a standard fertilization program with mineral fertil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Horticulturae Vol. 9; no. 3; p. 337
Main Authors: Čabilovski, Ranko, Manojlović, Maja S., Popović, Boris M., Radojčin, Milivoj T., Magazin, Nenad, Petković, Klara, Kovačević, Dragan, Lakićević, Milena D.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-03-2023
Subjects:
Anthocyanins
antioxidant activity
Comparative analysis
Compost
Composting
Compound fertilizers
Crop yield
Crop yields
Environmental aspects
Fertilization
Fertilizers
Foliar applications
Fruits
Growth
Leachates
Measurement
mineral composition
Mineral fertilizers
Natural resources
Nitrates
Organic wastes
Physiological aspects
Plant growth
Strawberries
Vermicomposting
Worms
Serbia
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Summary:Recycling organic waste is most important for preserving natural resources. The research objective was to quantify the effect of the application of vermicompost and vermicompost leachate on the yield and quality of strawberries and compare it with a standard fertilization program with mineral fertilizers during a 3-year production cycle. Five fertilization treatments were studied: control—without fertilizer (Ø); vermicompost (V); vermicompost + foliar application of vermicompost leachate (VL); vermicompost leachate through fertigation and foliar application (L); and mineral NPK fertilizers (NPK). The application of V positively affected strawberry yield only in the first year. In all three years of fruiting, the highest yield was measured for NPK treatment. In the first year, fertilization had no effect on fruit quality, while in the second and third years, the application of leachate led to a significantly higher concentration of total soluble solids, total anthocyanins, antioxidant activity of the fruit, and a lower concentration of total acid. Strawberries are grown for a two- or three-year production cycle, so the application of V and VL cannot maintain the yield level as was with the application of mineral NPK fertilizers. The quality of strawberry fruit, however, can be improved significantly.
ISSN:2311-7524
2311-7524
DOI:10.3390/horticulturae9030337