Effects of vermicompost and hot compost integration on carrot ( <i>Daucus carota</i> L.) growth and yield

Organic fertilisation offers sustainable alternatives to chemical fertilisers. Therefore, the effects of two composts (vermicompost and hot compost) and a commercial NPK fertiliser (23:10:5:6S + 1.0 Zn) on the growth and yield of carrots under field conditions were evaluated. Vermicompost and hot compost were applied as single and combined treatments in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) replicated three times. Data were subjected to Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and repeated measures ANOVA in RCBD depending on the structure. The combined application of vermicompost and hot compost significantly improved shoot height ( p = 0.027) and carrot root weight ( p = 0.039). No considerable interaction effects between treatments and time on canopy coverage (%) ( p = 0.237) and number of leaves per plant ( p = 0.071) were observed. Although vermicompost (1.68 kg m −2 ) and combined composts (1.53 kg m −2 ) produced numerically higher root yields than NPK fertiliser (1.15 kg m −2 ), the differences were not statistically significant ( p = 0.206). Interestingly, sensory evaluation results revealed that single-vermicompost treatments and combined compost applications improved carrot tuber root flavour ( p = 0.015), tuber root texture ( p = 0.023), and tuber root water content ( p = 0.023), but not tuber root sweetness ( p = 0.717). Vermicompost and hot compost, whether applied individually or in combination, provide a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilisers by improving soil fertility and enhancing carrot growth, yield, and quality.