EFFECTS OF COMPOST FROM RATTAN RESIDUES ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF CHINESE KALE AND SWEET CORN

Abstract

            The study of effects of compost from rattan residues on growth and yield of Chinese kale and sweet corn was carried out at Bantad Research and Development Center, Udonthani Rajabhat University. The objectives of this experimental were to compare effects of compost from rattan residues and chemical fertilizer on growth and yield of Chinese kale and sweet corn. Completely Randomized Design was used in this study. There were 3 treatments consisting of: Treatment 1, Chemical fertilizer, Treatment 2, Reduced 25 percentage of chemical fertilizer, adding 1,000 Kg/rai compost fertilizer and Treatment 3, Reduced 50 percentage of chemical fertilizer rate, adding 1,500 Kg/rai compost fertilizer. The plants were grown in plastic pots in a plastic greenhouse with 4 replications. The analysis of chemical properties of compost from rattan residual material were pH 7.5, electrical conductivity 5.56 dS/meter, organic matter 42 percent, organic carbon content 24.60 percent, carbon and nitrogen ratio (C/N ratio) 36.55, total nitrogen content 0.67 percent, total available phosphorus (P₂O₅) 0.85 percent, and total available potassium (K₂O) 1.86 percent. The results of this study showed that adding compost with chemical fertilizer promoted the height and yield of Chinese kale significantly. However, adding 1,000 or 1,500 kg/rai of compost with reduced 25 or 50 percent rate of chemical fertilizer gave the same result. For sweet corn, all treatments did not show significant differences for height in an early growth stage but at 60 and 75 DAP, adding 1,500 kg/rai with 50 percent reduced rate of chemical fertilizer gave the highest plant height. All 3 treatments did not show the difference of the ear length, the ear width, the ear weight, number of seeds row per ear and brix index. Additionally, adding 1,000 or 1,500 kg/rai of compost with reduced 25 or 50 percent rate of chemical fertilizer showed the highest number of seeds/ear and the highest weight of seeds/ear while these two treatments did not show the significant differences.