Effects of Vermicompost on Quality and Physiological Parameters of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Seedlings and Plant Productivity

Abstract

Cucumbers productivity and fruit quality depend on seedlings’ quality. The success of seedling cultivation largely depends on the choice of a suitable substrate. Therefore the aim of this research is to determine the effect of peat-vermicompost substrates on cucumber seedling quality and crop yield. The research was carried out in a greenhouse covered with double polymeric film in the Institute of Horticulture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry. Cucumber seedlings were grown in different substrates: peat, peat + 10% vermicompost, peat + 20% vermicompost, and peat + 30% vermicompost. The growth of cucumber seedlings in peat and vermicompost substrates was induced. They were 1.9–18.6% taller, and the leaf area of this seedlings was 1.2–1.4 time larger. Furthermore, the fresh leaves mass of these seedlings was 22.7–33.1%, and the fresh root mass was 1.1–1.5 time bigger. The addition of vermicompost to peat substrate has a positive effect on the physiological parameters in the leaves of cucumber seedlings. The total yield of cucumbers grown in peat-vermicompost substrates was 7.4–11.1% higher than that of plants whose seedlings grew in peat substrate.