Effects of organic fertilizers on growth, yield, quality and sensory evaluation of red lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) ‘Veneza Roxa’

Abstract

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the widely used salad vegetable in Swaziland. However, there is a dearth of information pertaining to organic lettuce production. An experiment was conducted in a lath house at the Horticulture farm, Luyengo Campus of the University of Swaziland to assess the effects of organic fertilizers on yield and quality of lettuce grown in river sand. The organic fertilizers used were (a) bounce back compost, (b) cattle manure and(c) chicken manure. The rates of application were 40 tones per hectare (t/ha) for chicken and cattle manures, 1.5 t/ha basal dressing and 1.0 t/ha side dressing for bounce back compost. Inorganic fertilizers 2:3:2 (22) + 0.5 % zinc (Zn) and limestone ammonium nitrate (LAN 28%) were included at specific application rates of 955 kg/ha basal dressing and 100 kg/ha side dressing as control. The results showed that type of fertilizer applied significantly (P< 0.05) affected growth, yield and nutritional quality of lettuce. A trend in superiority of the different types of organic fertilizers was observed as the chicken manure exhibited relatively higher values on number of leaves, plant height, marketable yield and mean leaf dry mass. Cattle manure was second, and then bounce back compost and lastly the inorganic fertilizers. However, plants produced by bounce back compost were higher in calcium, iron and Zn contents on fresh mass basis while plants produced by cattle manure followed, and then inorganic fertilizers and lastly chicken manure. Organoleptic tests showed that there were no significant (P> 0.05) differences in appearance and taste among treatments. Results of this experiment showed that inorganic fertilizers were less suitable in lettuce production in river sand when compared to organic fertilizers. It is recommended that lettuce can be grown successfully using organic fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Agriculture & Biology Journal of North America is the property of Science Hub, LLC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)