Background: Organic agricultural inputs are getting immense importance for enhancing growth, yield and nutritional value of the crop. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of soil application of different doses of fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) on the growth parameters of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plant. Methods: FPH treatment were applied through soil application in three different doses such as 0.5 mL, 2.0 mL and 5.0 mL diluted into 2 liters of water and one control group was maintained that did not receive any FPH but only equal amount of water. The growth parameters in terms of fruit yield, shoot morphology and root morphology were studied. The 0.5 ml dose resulted in the 48% increase in the yield to tomatoes. The dose proportional linear increase in the tomato yield was not observed. All the doses of FPH showed increase in the fresh shoot weight as compared to control, however differentiation with different doses was not profound. Result: The optimal dose of 0.5 ml showed significantly positive effect on the root morphology. However, the highest dose of 5.0 ml resulted in the negative effect on the root development. This research work demonstrated that optimal dose of the organic biostimulant FPH can help to increase the yield of tomato.

Background: Organic inputs, especially biostimulants, are gaining immense importance in enhancing crop yields. In the present study, the effect of soil-application of fish-protein hydrolysate (FPH) on the growth and yield of spinach was evaluated. The effect of various doses on the yield and correlation of root growth with yield was attempted to establish. Methods: In the current experiment, spinach was grown in growing pots. Four different concentrations of the FPH liquid viz. 0.5 ml, 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml per plant were applied to each plant through soil application at the frequency of 8 days. Result: The study revealed that amongst the various tested doses of 0.5 ml, 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml, the highest yield was observed with a 2 ml dose. Compared to untreated control plants, about a 40% increase in the yield was observed in the treatment with a 2 ml dose. The higher yield was associated with better root development. The higher doses of 5 ml and 10 ml did not result in a proportional increase in yields. On the contrary, these higher doses resulted in an adverse effect on the growth of roots and yield. So, the present study demonstrated the utility of FPH in increasing the yield of spinach in organic farming at the experimental level.