Growth, yield and biochemical responses of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) to fish silage enriched vermicompost

Abstract

The study investigated effect of vermicompost enriched with fish silage on the growth, yield and biochemical constituents of cowpea. The experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) in three replicates with plot size of 2.0×2.0 m each. The treatments were chemical fertiliser (CF) (100 kg urea + 300 kg single super phosphate ha-1), fish silage enriched vermicompost (VCS) (3.33 t of enriched vermicompost and 300 kg single super phosphate ha-1) and vermicompost (VC) (4.5 t vermicompost + 300 kg single super phosphate ha-1). Data on growth and yield parameters of cowpea were analysed. Chlorophyll and carotenoid content of the leaves were also estimated. Results showed that cowpea performed best with the enriched vermicompost in terms of average yield of fruits per plant (209.27 g), plant height (114.2 cm), total number of branches per plant (13.4), weight per fruit (4.41 g) and number of seeds per fruit (10.5). Cowpea plants given inorganic fertiliser had a better biochemical profile with higher total chlorophyll (37.52 mg g-1) and carotenoid (1.497 mg g-1) content than the organic manure treated plants. Results revealed that enriching vermicompost with fish silage is a potential option for improving the nutrient content of vermicompost, resulting in higher crop production by converting fish waste into a useful byproduct.