Impact of Inorganic Supplements on Food Production
Changing climate patterns and soil nutrients have created challenges in providing ideal requirements for food production (Semko & Altukhova, 2021). While inorganic supplements have, over the years, been applied to improve crop yields, questions such as pollution to groundwater and excessive salts have often affected their suitability (Peigné et al., 2016). Soil fertility remains one of the problems limiting food production, such as growing tomatoes. To increase soil fertility, inorganic fertilizers have often been applied. However, frequent use of such fertilizers has been associated with negative consequences.
Furthermore, the nutritional value of the crops is likely to be affected by the continued application of inorganic fertilizers. Consumers’ demand for organic crops has grown substantially recently (Kalbani et al., 2016). This claim is validated by the fact that organically grown foods are good for the environment and our health. Besides, more attention has been placed on the idea that organically grown foods are good in guarding against potential ailments caused by synthetic products. Others have also pointed out that they have better taste than the conventional ones (Brzezina, Kopainsky & Mathijs, 2016). The release of nutrients from organic fertilizers is also much slower, and it is used to improve the soil stability and structure to improve the yield of these crops.
Organic fertilizers also vary and are made from agricultural wastes or animal excreta (Schader et al., 2021). The basic types of organic fertilizers include compost made from composting organic matter; manure from animal excreta, chicken litter; Vermicompost, rock phosphate, and bone meal. Madende, M., & Hayes (2020) postulates that these organic fertilizers also vary in terms of their nutritional value and, therefore, their applications. They are also categorized as either plant-based fertilizers, animal-based, or mineral fertilizers. Food growers have a wide range of organic fertilizers and supplements. These plant growth promoters (PGPs) are often environmentally sourced organic materials such as animal manures, seaweeds, fish meal and emulsions, compost, and rock phosphates. The PGPs are more viable for improving crop production because of their sustainability values and biological sources, which cause minimal harm to the environment. They generally improve soil health.
Tomatoes are one of the most widely grown vegetables globally. It is economically attractive as it is used almost every day by almost all households, has a relatively short duration of growth, and has high yields. Moreover, tomatoes are rich in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, sugars, essential amino acids, and dietary fibers. Their fruits are primarily used in sauces, dishes, and soup or consumed fresh in salads. Having the right soil nutrients and conditions would improve the yield of tomatoes, therefore, their economic benefits. This study aims to determine the effect of different types of organic supplements on the growth of tomato seedlings. It will compare three commercially available products, fish product-based, animal manure, and seaweed, applied to tomato seedlings grown over eight weeks.
A direct soil drenching method was used to administer each PGP into the pots with the germinating seedlings. The PGP was applied proportionally as per recommendation by the manufacturers. This application method was preferred since it ensured there was no instance of unintended fertilizer going into another pot, which would interfere with the results of the study. While using this method, a solution of individual PGP is introduced to the soil in a liquid form that is easily absorbed by the plants (Fletcher et al., 2018). After the application of PGP on separate plants, watering was not done on the same day, which ensured the proportion of PGP remained constant without being diluted by water. The method also allows only the required nutrient quotient and value is introduced into the soil for the study (Fletcher et al., 2018).
Consumer Demand for Organic Crops
Data were collected by cutting all the plant parts above the ground, including the stems and leaves of the seedlings. Weekly dry weights of the cut plant parts were recorded in excel sheets marked against week number and the weight.
Cut plant parts were dried in paper bags and dried for two days at a 67°C temperature. The dried plant parts were weighed and recorded in grams on the excel sheet against respective PGP and week. The recorded gram weights from week one to week eight helped determine the PGP with the best impact on the growth of the tomato seedlings.
Of the three PGP fertilizers in the study, animal manure-based, seaweed-based, and fish products based, animal manure proved to be more efficient and productive. Fish-based and seaweed had comparable results, despite seaweed being the best when the two were compared. The two had a meager difference in the weights of dried plants grown under them, often having a +/- 3.5 grams deviation. However, all the seedlings recorded improvement as the study progressed; subsequent weeks had a significant increase in dried weight compared to results from week one of the study. The high records of dried plant parts from animal manure indicate that the tomato seedlings in the study required nitrogen and phosphorus for their growth. Stunted growth observed under the seedlings underwater only depicted the need for nutrients in plants’ overall growth and productivity.
The use of direct drenching for the application ensured that adequate nutrients were introduced into the soil (Fletcher et al., 2018). From the Data in the Excel sheet, plants supported by fish product-based fertilizer recorded a higher dried weight in the first week of application and study. However, the figures reduced drastically in the second week before beginning to rise later. This showed inconsistency in the nutrient quotient and impact of the PGP. The animal-based manure, on the contrary, showed a steady rise in the grammage of dried plant parts as weeks progressed, showing its dominance over the other PGPs.
Figure 1: Graph showing the impact of the 3 sampled PGPs on the growth of tomato seedlings.
The graphs shows that the animal-based manure recorded higher grammage compared to the other PGPs. The other two PGPs compared fairly.
The rising concerns about climate change and pollution of the natural environment have promoted the use of plant growth promoters (PGPs) instead of chemical fertilizers to support plant growth. The study was about the three biological PGPs to determine their impact on the growth of tomato seedlings over eight weeks. Standard conditions were set for the three experiments with the aid of controlled glasshouse conditions with mean temperatures of 22 ± four °C. For animal manure-based. Wonder Gro was used, seaweed-based Yates Fish was used, and finally, Seasol was used for fish products-based. The results were recorded on a weekly basis against individual PGP in grams after weighing dried plant parts.
From the study results, it was clear that animal manure-based fertilizer impacted better than the other PGPs under the study. The weekly results from the weighted plant parts under the animal manure-based recorded higher grammage compared to the other PGPs. From the nutrient and mineral content of the respective PGPs, it was evident that Wonder Gro, the animal manure-based fertilizer used, had the highest composition of nitrogen and phosphorus and the send highest in potassium after the Seasol, the seaweed-based. The animal manure-based manure had generous tomato seed requirements that made seedlings grown under it record higher dried weights (Long et al., 2018). Seedlings underwater only control registered very low grammage across the eight weeks of sampling and weighing. In the nutrient composition of the water, only PGP was the lowest in all of the minerals.
Types of Organic Fertilizers
The direct soil drench method of application of the categories was an important method of manure application. The method ensures individual PGPs are applied in the correct proportion and insoluble state, making absorption easier and fast for the growing seedlings. Past studies and researchers have shown that animal-based manure is highly productive and efficient compared to other forms of PGPs (Long et al., 2018). This is clear from the mineral content obtained in the manure. Tomato seedlings and tomatoes, in general, require a high supply of nitrogen and phosphorus for their growth (Gardening Life, 2022). The animal-based manure provides the two minerals in bulk compared to other PGPs, and this is because of the nitrogen-rich waste products from animals.
The study was affected by a fair share of shortcomings and limitations. First, there was a need to be present in the glass rooms to ensure all other growth factors remained available and at a standard temperature and humidity. This resulted in longer hours spent at the glasshouses. Further, the dataset involved comprised eight different sample pots, seedlings in each pot needed to be weighed weekly throughout the study to determine the impact of various PGPs over time. There was a 0.05g margin of error for all the weighed plants parts despite keenness being observed. This, however, was avoided in several instances, especially having the different sets tested at different stations that were clearly calibrated.
Conclusion
To the study, PGPs are a worthy substitute for chemical fertilizers and are a remedy to the rising concerns over environmental pollution and degradation, besides climatic change. Different PGPs have different mineral and nutrient contents, thus impacting plants’ growth differently. The mineral requirement of plants can help identify the best PGP for their production. Animal-based manure (as in the case of Wonder Gro) confirms a high nitrogen and phosphorus quotients make it suitable for plant growth. On the other hand, seaweed confirmed a high potassium quotient that would be equally beneficial for other plants. The results are vital for future researchers, as the method used (direct soil drenching) proved crucial in ensuring nutrients are availed to plants in a liquid state that makes absorption easy. This will improve the time spent on research by reducing the absorption time of plants. Experiments using water-only control further prove that plants require boosts and support via PGPs to be more productive.
References
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Kalbani, F. O. S. A., Salem, M. A., Cheruth, A. J., Kurup, S. S., & Senthilkumar, A. (2016). Effect of some organic fertilizers on growth, yield, and quality of tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum). International Letters of Natural Sciences, 53.
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Peigné, J., Casagrande, M., Payet, V., David, C., Sans, F. X., Blanco-Moreno, J. M., … & Mäder, P. (2016). How organic farmers practice conservation agriculture in Europe. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 31(1), 72-85.
Schader, C., Heidenreich, A., Kadzere, I., Egyir, I., Muriuki, A., Bandanaa, J., … & Stolze, M. (2021). How is organic farming performing agronomically and economically in sub-Saharan Africa?. Global Environmental Change, 70, 102325.
Semko, I. A., & Altukhova, L. A. (2021, April). Human resource management in the context of organic farming development. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 745, No. 1, p. 012020). IOP Publishing.
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