EFFECTS OF VERMICOMPOST FERTILISATION ON SOME GROWTH PARAMETERS AND YIELD OF TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM L). IN DALOA, WEST-CENTRAL OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE

The production of tomato, a very important vegetable for human consumption and the most widely grown in Africa, remains low to meet the needs of the Ivorian population. Also, mineral fertilisation with its certain contributions to the crop, remains costly and inaccessible to small farmers. The present study aims to assess the effects of organic fertilisation based on vermicompost on the growth and yield of the tomato Solanum lycopersicum L. In a Fisher block design. Three vermicompost treatments T20 (20 t/ha), T40 (40 t/ha), T60 (60 t/ha) and a control T0 were set up with four replicates in Daloa, west-central of Côte d'Ivoire. The germination rate of the tomato seeds was determined during the three weeks of nursery. The height, crown diameter and vigour index of the tomato plants were measured regularly, as well as the yield at the end of the trial. The main results show that the germination rate was higher with the lowest dose of vermicompost (20 t/ha) while the height, crown diameter and vigour index of the tomato plants increased more rapidly with increasing doses of vermicompost. Thus, the highest height (146.76 cm), the largest crown diameter (38.13 mm) and the highest vigour index (4.22) were obtained with the highest dose. Similarly, yield was favourably affected with increasing doses of vermicompost. The highest being obtained with T60. Increasing doses of vermicompost favourably influence tomato growth and yield. Organic fertilisation with vermicompost could be recommended to farmers in order to sustainably increase agricultural production.