Effects of different vermicompost ratios on seedling growth of some commercial vegetable species

This study; in order to determine the effects of adding different proportions (normal control, conventional control (watered with fertilizer), 5%, 10%, 20%, 40% and 50%) of vermicompost to peat and perlite (2:1) mixture on seedling development in some commercial vegetable species (tomato, cucumber, cabbage and crispy lettuce) was carried out between April-May 2019 in greenhouse belonging to Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University Agricultural Research and Application Center. Seeds were sown on April 4th, 2019 in 150-cell viols. Conventional control was irrigated with fertilizer water. Normal control and vermicompost applications were irrigated with normal water without fertilizer. Plant growth retardant was applied to prevent for seedling length. The experiment was established with randomized plot design with 3 replications. 10 plants were grown in each plot. Observations were done when the seedlings were reached about 4-6 leaves. Biomass, number of leaves, seedling length, stem length, stem diameter, seedling fresh weight, seedling dry weight, root length, root fresh weight and root dry weight were observed. As a result, the effect of different vermicompost ratios on seedling and root dry weight of seedling quality, which is one of the most important criteria for seedling quality, was not significant in tomato, whereas cucumber, cabbage and crispy lettuce were significantly affected by different vermicompost ratios. When vermicompost ratios were increased, seedling and root dry weight were increased compared to normal and conventional controls. The highest seedling and root dry weight were obtained in 40% ratio in cucumber, 50% ratio in cabbage and 5% ratio in crispy lettuce.