Biomass amendments of moringa and Ipil-Ipil for improved tomato production

Soil organic matter levels in Bangladesh are critically low, necessitating the exploration of effective organic amendments to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity. To address this challenge, a field experiment was conducted from May to October 2020 at the Agroforestry Field Laboratory, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, to assess the impact of green leaf biomass application on the growth and yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L., cv. BARI hybridtomato8). The study comprised ten treatments: T1- recommended dose of fertilizer (RFD), T2-½ RFD, T3-moringa leaf biomass (MLB) at 10 g/kg soil, T4 -MLB at 10 g/kg soil + ½ RFD, T5 -MLB at 5 g/kg soil, T6 -MLB at 5 g/kg soil + ½ RFD, T7- Ipil-Ipil biomass (ILB) at 10 g/kg soil, T8 -ILB at 10 g/kg soil + ½ RFD, T9 -ILB at 5 g/kg soil, and T10-ILB at 5 g/kg soil + ½ RFD. The experiment followed a Completely Randomized Design with three replications. Results indicated that the combined application of green leaf biomass with ½ RFD significantly improved tomato growth and yield compared to either ½ RFD or RFD alone. The lowest performance was observed under the T2 treatment. The highest yield per plant (1.89 kg) was recorded in T6, followed by T8. Among the biomass sources, moringa consistently outperformed Ipil-Ipil in enhancing tomato productivity. The findings suggest that integrating moringa or Ipil-Ipil leaf biomass with reduced fertilizer rates offers a promising strategy for improving tomato yield under low organic matter conditions in Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Agri. 2026, 51(1):93-104