Preventive effect of vermicompost against cucumber fusarium wilt and improvement of cucumber growth and soil properties

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to explore the preventive effect of vermicompost on cucumber Fusarium wilt and to investigate the growth, yield and fruit quality of cucumber plants inoculated with Fusarium oxysporum. Vermicompost and soil at different proportions (100% soil+0% vermicompost, 75% soil+25% vermicompost, 50% soil+50% vermicompost, 25% soil+75% vermicompost and 0% soil+100% vermicompost) were applied to cucumber plants inoculated with F. oxysporum. The alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen content, available phosphorus content, available potassium content, total porosity, organic matter content, sucrose activity, urease activity and neutral phosphatase activity of the soil in which the cucumber plants were grown consistently increased with increasing vermicompost proportion in the soil. However, the specific gravity of the soil consistently decreased with increasing vermicompost proportion. All of the vermicompost treatments significantly decreased the incidence of Fusarium wilt and the nitrate content of the cucumber fruit but significantly increased the heights, stem diameters and leaf areas of the plants and the soluble sugar content, soluble protein content and yield per plant of the fruit. Among the different treatments, the treatment of 50% soil+50% vermicompost was the most effective at inhibiting cucumber Fusarium wilt and improving the growth, fruit quality and yield of cucumber plants infected with F. oxysporum. Therefore, vermicompost supplied at moderate proportions may decrease the incidence of cucumber Fusarium wilt and improve plant growth, yield per plant and fruit quality by improving the soil.