Importance of compost fertilization and spraying with moringa leaf extract on yield and quality of cherry tomato under organic soilless system

Summary

This investigation examined the effects of organic compost fertilisation combined with fish extract fertirrigation and foliar moringa leaf extract on cherry tomato production in a soilless vermiculite system. Compost application at 400–500 g/plant, combined with fish extract and moringa spraying, substantially increased fruit yield (5.4–5.1 kg/plant versus 3.8–4.2 kg/plant for chemical controls) and improved fruit quality metrics including vitamin C, total soluble solids, and mineral content. The results suggest that organic soilless systems can achieve competitive yields with enhanced nutritional quality by combining multiple organic inputs.

Regional applicability

This study was conducted in Egypt under Mediterranean-subtropical growing conditions. The findings on organic soilless horticulture may have partial transferability to United Kingdom protected cropping systems; however, UK climate, growing season length, and energy costs for heated soilless production differ substantially. The methodology and organic input combination could inform UK organic horticulture research, but UK-based trials would be needed to validate performance under cooler temperate conditions.

Key measures

Plant length, number of leaves, leaf area per plant, total fruit yield (kg/plant), average fruit weight, fruit diameter, vitamin C content, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity, nitrogen percentage, phosphorus percentage, potassium percentage, stem thickness

Outcomes reported

The study measured cherry tomato plant growth parameters (length, leaves, leaf area), fruit yield, fruit quality attributes (weight, diameter, vitamin C, total soluble solids, acidity), and nutrient content (N, P, K) under organic soilless conditions with varying compost rates and moringa leaf extract spraying.

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