TITLE:
Soil Amendments Enhanced Summer Squash Yield, Fruit Composition, Quality, and Soil Enzymes Activity
AUTHORS:
George F. Antonious, Mohammad H. Dawood, Eric T. Turley, Thomas G. Trivette
KEYWORDS:
Sewage Sludge, Horse Manure, Chicken Manure, Vitamin C, Urease, Invertase
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.13 No.6,
June
13,
2022
ABSTRACT: Summer squash, Cucurbita pepo was field grown under fourteen soil treatments: sewage sludge (SS); horse manure (HM); chicken manure (CM); vermicompost; inorganic fertilizer (Inorg); commercial organic fertilizer (Org); and no-mulch (NM) control treatment. Soil treatments were also mixed with biochar to make a total of 14 treatments to assess the impact on 1) squash fruit yield and quality, 2) fruit vitamin C, total phenols, and soluble sugars content, and 3) soil microbial activity expressed as urease and invertase secretions. Results revealed that SS treatments increased squash yield and fruit number by 114% and 116%, respectively compared to NM control treatment. Fruits of plants grown in Inorg mixed with biochar (InorgBio) increased fruits’ vitamin C, total phenols, and soluble sugars by 73%, 52%, and 7%, respectively compared to Inorg with no-biochar treatment. However, biochar was not consistent in increasing soil urease and invertase activities. The use of animal manure is an affordable way to reduce dependence on mineral fertilizers. Results revealed that the addition of biochar to Org fertilizer increased squash fruit weight and numbers of fruits compared to Org not treated with biochar. No single amendment increased all fruit composition and soil urease and invertase activities.