Effects of Cattle Manure on the Growth, Yield, Quality and Shelf Life of Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L. cv. Detroit Dark Red)

Abstract

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) is one of the widely and popularly used salad vegetable in the Kingdom of Eswatini: However, there is scarcity of information pertaining to its organic production. A field study laid out in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) was conducted at the Horticulture Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Luyengo Campus, at the University of Eswatini to determine the effects of cattle manure on growth, yield, quality and shelf-life of beetroot. Five treatments were applied in this experiment, and included cattle manure applied at 20, 40, 60, and 80 t/ha and a control of inorganic fertilizer, NPK [2:3:2 (22)] applied at 100 kg/ha as basal dressing and limestone ammonium nitrate (LAN) (28) applied at 80 kg as a top dressing. The treatments were replicated four times. The results obtained showed that beetroot grown under the application rate of 80 t/ha exhibited higher values in plant height (32.5 cm), number of leaves (9), leaf area (206 cm2), root diameter (5.1 cm), root length (11.7 cm), root fresh mass/plant (10.8 g), root dry mass/plant (9.2 g), marketable yield/plant (9.2 g) and quality [(aroma (33.5%), flavour (34%), texture (35%)] of the edible part. Plants supplied with 20 t/ha of cattle manure and inorganic fertiliser (control) gave the lowest vegetative growth parameters, quality parameters and marketable yield.