RESPONSE OF TOMATO Solanum lycopersicum GROWTH AND YIELD WITH INTEGRATION OF FISH POND MUDS AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

The sustainability of agricultural systems greatly relies on the quality of the soil in which the crops are grown. Thus, employing agronomic practices that enhance various properties of the soil (eg. aggregate stability, particulate organic matter, soil nitrates) can improve crop production. Our previous work showed that pond sediments from aquaculture systems can be used as an alternative to traditional fertilizers to enhance the growth and yield of vegetables. Further, it is known that black polythene can be used as mulch to modify the energy and water balance at the soil surface and create more favourable conditions for plant growth. The use of this material reduces the costs of irrigation and weeding, while the application of pond muds can mitigate fertilizer costs. One of the most important crops worldwide is tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), however production varies with season, planting time, climate, soil properties, management practices, and varietal. The present study sought to determine whether employing certain agronomical practices, namely mulching, in addition to using pond sediments from aquaculture systems to enhance soil quality would improve the growth and yield of tomato crops.

The experiments were performed in pond dyke systems in the Dumuria Upazila, Khulna District of Bangladesh and consisted of nine treatment combinations employing pond sediment from different aquaculture systems with one of three management practices (Table 1). Fertilizer was applied to the ponds fortnightly for a total of 14 times prior to being added to the tomato plots. The plots were 1.5 m x 1.5 m while the transplanted seedlings (tomato hybrid cultivar 'Sathi') were spaced 50 cm apart. Tomato growth and yield was typically greater in plots containing mud from fertilized ponds (P₁ and P₂), regardless of management practice (Table 2). However, the greatest yield was observed when mud from P₁ was used in combination with T₃.The results indicate that combining the use of fertilized pond mud with mulching practices could enhance crop production.