Effect of organic compost on the vegetative growth of ladies’ finger (Abelmoschus esculentus) in sub-tropical Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

In the current situation, food waste is a major issue on a global scale. This food waste may decompose into compost, which may then be used in the agricultural sector to increase the output of vegetable crops. In this perspective, a field study on compost was made from food waste and its impact on ladyfinger production in the sub-tropical Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh was checked. The main objective of the present study was to make people aware about organic manure prepared by using food waste so that they can adopt these agricultural practices and apply them for good crop production. The field work was carried out in the agricultural land of Arni University, Distt. Kangra of Himachal Pradesh during the month of May-August 2021. The experiment consisted of 10 treatments and 10 control plants. Soil of both control and treatment plot was examined with the standard methods. Morphological parameters i. e. plant height, number of leaves per plant, length of leaves, width of leaves, fruit production of the plants of control and treatment plot were measured and recorded weekly. After the execution of statistics on the data matrix results indicated that compost from food waste increased soil fertility. The application of manure was significantly (P less than 0.01) superior over the morphological parameters of the control group plants. Findings of the present investigation indicated that plant height (54.83±1.20 cm), leaf length (18.53±0.63 cm), leaf number (12.70±0.26 cm), leaf breadth (15.8±0.95 cm) and fruit size were significantly increased and it ensured that the organic manure of cow dung and food waste had a favourable impact on vegetable crop production. Future research in this area may assist farmers in reducing crop failure risk and improving production stability.