TITLE:
Comparative Assessment of Cow Manure Vermicompost and NPK Fertilizers and on the Growth and Production of Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) Flower
AUTHORS:
Shahin Sultana, Md. Abul Kashem, Abul K. M. M. Mollah
KEYWORDS:
Organic Fertilizer, Soil, Rates of Fertilizer, Flower
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Soil Science,
Vol.5 No.9,
September
4,
2015
ABSTRACT: A pot
experiment was conducted to investigate the comparative effect of cow manure
vermicompost and NPK fertilizers on the growth and flower production of Zinnia (Zinnia elegans). An
air dried sandy loam soil was mixed with four rates of NPK fertilizer
equivalent to 0 (control), 0.5 dose (N-P-K = 69-16-35 kg·haǃ), 1 dose
(recommended) (N-P-K = 137-32-70 kg·haǃ), 2 doses (N-P-K =
274-64-140 kg·haǃ) and 4 doses (N-P-K = 548-128-280 kg·haǃ)
and three rates of vermicompost equivalent to 5%, 10%, 20% by oven dry weight.
Two plants were grown in each pot. After blooming of flowers, the plants were
harvested at 50 days of growth and leaves and stems were separated. The growth
parameters (shoot height, root length, leaf number, total number of flower,
flower diameter, fresh and dry weight of flower) of Zinnia plant increased by
the application of vermicompost and the effect of NPK fertilizer was not found
effective. The growth performance was similar between 10% and 20% and hence 10%
vermicompost should be taken into consideration when ornamental plants are
grown in potting media.