The effect of leguminous cover crops on growth and yield of tomato

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is one of the vegetable fruit crops commonly cultivated around the globe and used mostly as a flavour in cuisines. Cover cropping is a form of sustainable agriculture which helps to maintain soil fertility and reduces the need and the amount of inorganic fertilizer and thus helps the farmer to increase profitability. The objective of this study was to find the effect of the cover crops on growth and yield of tomato. In this experiment legume cover crops were grown in five treatment plots and these were Bare soil, inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15:15:15), Vigna unguiculata (Cowpea), Mucuna pruriens (Mucuna) and Canavalia ensiformis (Canavalia) in 3 blocks. The results showed that tomato plants grown on Canavalia ensiformis plots showed earlier flowering and fruiting than the other treatments. It also showed significantly higher yield than the other treatments (P= 0.006). The study shows that cover crops especially Canavalia ensiformis could be considered as part any farming system that wants to use sustainable farming to improve soil nutrients and reduce cost of farming.