EFFECT OF DIFFERENT ORGANIC FERTILIZERS ON THE GROWTH OF SPINACH (Spinacia oleracea L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Soil Science Research Field, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU), Dinajpur, Bangladesh December 2022 to February 2023 aimed to evaluate the impact of various organic fertilizers on Spinach. The experiment comprises six (6) treatments, T1 = Control, T2 = Compost (2.5 t ha-1), T3 = Cow dung (5 t ha-1), T4 = Vermicompost (1 t ha-1), T5 = Bone meal (0.5 t ha-1) and T6 = Poultry manure (5 t ha-1). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications, and the total plot number was 18. The data was collected on different growth parameters such as, plant height (cm), number of leaves per plant, shoot weight per plant (g), root weight per plant (g), and post-harvest soil analysis e.g., available S (ppm), available P (ppm), exchangeable K (meq 100 g-1 soil), total N (%), pH, electrical conductivity (dS m-1). The findings indicated that T6 exhibited the tallest plant height, measuring 7.83 cm and 57.66 cm at 30 DAS and 45 DAS respectively. Additionally, T6 also displayed the highest number of leaves (20.90), as well as the greatest shoot and root weight (22.75 g and 1.07 g, respectively). T6 also had the highest levels of available S (26.62 ppm) and exchangeable K (0.22 meq 100 g-1 soil), as well as the highest total N content (0.11%). Furthermore, T6 had the highest pH (6.52) and EC (0.15 dS m-1). Furthermore, the maximum concentration of P was 75.86 ppm, which was achieved from T5. In contrast, the T1 treatments exhibited the lowest values for all parameters. This included the shortest plant height, measuring 5 cm and 36.66 cm at 30 and 45 DAS respectively. Additionally, T1 had the lowest number of leaves per plant (11.1), as well as the lowest shoot and root weight per plant (7.59 g and 0.31 g, respectively). T1 also had the lowest levels of available S (13.28 ppm), available P (61.21 ppm), exchangeable K (0.14 meq 100 g-1 soil), total N (0.056 %), pH (6.1), and electrical conductivity (0.08 dS m-1). PM 5 t ha-1 may be recommended for famers’ field and further investigation for different AEZ need to be conducted.