Abstract

Pot culture experiment was carried out during 1995-1996 with tomato (CO-3) to study the effect of coirpith based potting mixtures [100% soil, 100% coirpith, 75% coirpith + 25% soil, 50% coirpith+50% soil and 25% coirpith + 75% soil) and methods of fertilizer application [conventional soil application of N and soil application + fertigation] on physical and chemical properties of the potting medium. yield and uptake of nutrients by tomato. Incorporation of coirpith improved the physical and chemical properties of the potting medium. An yield increase of 6% and 27% were recorded in the treatments of soil + coirpith at 75:25 and 50:50, respectively, over soil alone. Among the two methods of fertilizer applications, fertigation method gave increased yield of tomato to the tune of about 8.72% over conventional soil application method.v

Keywords: Potting medium, coirpith, fertiliser application, physico-chemical properties, tomato