Investigation of Growth Changes of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Cultivar (Green Tower Mi) under the Treatment of Trichoderma and Vermicompost

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student,, Department of Horticultural Siences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

2 PhD Student, Department of Horticultural Siences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Siences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

4 Associate Professor, Department of Horticultural Siences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Trichoderma and vermicompost are important factors in improving and indirect growth stimulants in a variety of crops and orchards. This study is a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design, under soilless cultivation conditions in the greenhouse, with 4 concentrations of Trichoderma harizianum isolate Bi: 0% (control), 10%, 20%, and 30% by volume of 60 liters of water and two levels of vermicompost: Control (no use of vermicompost) and 50% of pot volume (cocopeat and perlite (2:1)) with 6 replications were established by studying the effect on morphological properties of lettuce cultivar (Green Tower Mi). The highest weight of stem, leaf, and root based on the results of the 10% fungus concentration treatment was observed at the highest levels of 363.75 g, 325.08 g, and 26.35 g, respectively. Also, in the application of vermicompost, the heavier stem fresh weight (377.41 g), leaf fresh weight (348.87 g), and root fresh weight (24.11 g) had the highest weight compared to non-application. The highest number of leaves (36), stem diameter (20.64 mm), and leaf area (211.25 cm-2 g) were observed in fungal treatment with a concentration of 10%. The antioxidant activity of lettuce treated with vermicompost increased by 25.34% compared to the control. Therefore, with the positive effect of vermicompost and Trichoderma on the growth properties of lettuce, the use of these two treatments in planting this plant is recommended. Also, because there was no significant difference between the high levels of the fungus, it is possible to achieve the desired result with fewer savings and costs, even with a concentration of 10% fungus.

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