Compost tea from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) enriched with chicken manure as a fertiliser source in organic production of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

Abstract The trend of organic production is gaining much attention with the utilization of compost teas as organic foliar fertiliser moving towards sustainable farming. Compost tea derived from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) compost can be used as a source of fertiliser in organic food crop production. A study was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield of tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) to EFB Compost Tea (EFBCT) enriched with chicken manure using a Randomized Complete Block Design with five treatments replicated four times. The analytical characteristics of compost tea with or without enrichment of chicken manure based on pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC) and nutrient contents of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were significantly different. The treatments were: T1 (100% Tap water as control), T2 (100% EFBCT with chicken manure), T3 (50% EFBCT with chicken manure + 50% Tap water), T4 (100% EFBCT) and T5 (50% EFBCT + 50% Tap water). Significant growth responses were indicated by the plant height and flower number of tomato at 144.15 cm and 6.15 from T2, respectively. However, the yield response indicated by the number of fruits was significant for T5 but with the most number of small fruits, while the highest number of medium fruits was from T1 and the highest number of large fruits was from T3. In contrast, the yield of tomato showed significance in T2 as indicated by fruit weight, length and diameter. This study showed that EFBCT enriched with chicken manure can be used as an alternative liquid fertiliser to replace chemical fertiliser for organic food and vegetable productions.