Influence of foliar application with Moringa oleifera residue fertilizer on growth, and yield quality of leafy vegetables

Abstract

Biofertilizers produced from organic materials help to promote the growth, and yield quality of crops and is more environmentally friendly than chemical fertilizers. Moringa oleifera is a leafy vegetable whose leaves are also used to make biofertilizers. The use of moringa non-edible parts in biofertilizer preparation remains under-explored. In this study, a procedure to produce moringa foliar biofertilizer (MFB) from non-edible parts was developed. The effect of composting time (3 to 4 months) on the quality of MFB was investigated, and four-month incubation was found suitable for biofertilizers yield with the highest nitrogen content and optimal pH. Furthermore, the influences of MFB doses (20 to 100 mL per Litre) on the growth of lettuce and mustard spinach were studied. The yield of these leafy vegetables was the highest at 100 mL per Litre of MFB spray. Finally, MFB was compared with other commercial foliar sprays, including chitosan fertilizer and seaweed fertilizer. Each foliar treatment was applied every five days until five days before harvest. Plant height, the number of leaves, canopy diameter, leaf area index, actual yield, ascorbic acid content, and Brix were found to be similar in lettuce sprayed with MFB, chitosan, and seaweed fertilizers. In conclusion, the application of MFB promoted the growth and yield of mustard spinach.

Foliar Application of Tropical Trees Leaf Extract for Improve Growth and Yield of Blackgram [Vigna mungo (L). Hepper]

“…The foliar application of tree leaf extracts increased yield and nutrition of black gram, due to the presence of microelements and plant growth regulators likely iron, calcium and potassium, amino acids, ascorbic acid, phenolics and Zeatin [10]. Similar observation was recorded by Chanthanousone et al [16] in lettuce and spinach and Irshad et al [17] in chickpea. The Control treatment recorded lower yield.…”

“…Moringa, bael, notchi, and Albizia amara tree leaf extracts have nutritional, insecticidal, and fungicidal properties [14]. Similarly, the tree leaf extracts had improved the growth and yield of the crops [15,14,16,17]. However, the standardization of various leaf extracts with effective concentration is need to be studied.…”

Influence of biofertilizer produced using drumstick (Moringa oleifera L.) unused parts on the growth performance of two leafy vegetables

“…The leaf area index (LAI) is the sum of the leaf area from all plants divided by the ground area. Yield components included: (i) fresh mass per plant (g/plant) (including the stems, leaves and roots); (ii) theoretical yield (tons per ha) (average fresh mass/plant × plant density); (iii) actual yield (tons per ha) was also estimated (Chanthanousone et al 2022). Statistical analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey's test, using the SPSS statistic 20.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).…”

“…These materials can be utilized to generate Moringa organic fertilizer. Previous studies indicated that applying Moringa foliar biofertilizer produced from nonedible parts promotes the growth, yield, ascorbic acid content and Brix of lettuce (Chanthanousone et al 2022). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the incubation period on the Moringa residual organic fertilizer and its impact on the growth of lettuce and mustard spinach in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam.…”