Impact of Fish Amino Acid and Boron Supplementation on the Growth and Yield Performance of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Cultivated in Soil and Soilless Systems

An experiment was undertaken to evaluate the impact of fish amino acid (FAA) fertilizer and boron (B) supplementation on the growth and yield of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) cultivated in both soil and soilless systems. The study comprised six treatments with four replications each, including Control group, as well as treatments involving FAA and B application. The experiment was conducted for 12 weeks using a factorial arrangement within a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Data were analyzed by using analysis of variance (ANOVA), SPSS software, and treatment means were compared using Tukey’s Honest Significant Difference (HSD) test at a significance level of P<0.05. The parameters assessed in this study included plant height, number of leaves, shoot and root biomass, media pH, fresh weight, and fruit number. The investigation into the impact of fish amino acid (FAA) application on the growth and yield of tomato in soilless culture was successfully conducted. The treatment involving 30 mL/L FAA (T3) demonstrated a statistically significant effect on the number of leaves and the results were like the treatment using AB fertilizer application (T5). Similarly, the study examining the impact of boron (B) on tomato growth and yield in soilless media was also successful. The combined application of 30 mL/L FAA with 1.87 mg/L B (T4) produced results on leaf number that were statistically like those observed with the AB fertilizer treatment (T6). These findings indicate that FAA and B applications positively impact certain growth parameters, suggesting their potential as alternative nutrient sources to reduce reliance on conventional chemical fertilizers.