Comparative Yield Performance of Hybrid Eggplant (Solanum melongena) Using Vermicast Produced by Different Earthworm Species

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the performance of the vermicast produced from the three surface-dwelling earthworms, Cross Bred Earthworm, African Night Crawler (Eudrilus eugeniae), and Native Earthworm (Perionyx excavatus), on the yield of hybrid eggplant. The study was conducted at the Central Experiment Station of the Department of Research and Development of the Isabela State University-Cabagan Campus. It is envisioned to encourage farmers in producing their own fertilizer through vermicomposting and using pure organic fertilizer instead of being dependent on inorganic fertilizer. This study evaluated the use of pure organic fertilizer on the production of hybrid eggplant, particularly the variety Morena. Treatments used are the result of the nutrient analysis of the five treatments from vermicomposting, particularly the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK), namely: T1 – 0.61-0.13-0.40, T2 -0.48-0.18-0.36, T3- 0.51-0.15-0.37, T4 – 0.60-0.11-0.42, and T5 – 0.59-0.17-0.43. The result of the study revealed that T2 has the highest yield with an average weight of 5.53 t/ha, followed by T5 with 5.49 t/ha. T1 with 4.41 t/ha, T3 with 4.27 t/ha, and T4 has the lowest yield with a mean weight of 4.10 t/ha. Among the five treatments, T2 has the highest return on investment (ROI) with 314%, followed by T5 with 311% and T1-230%, T3-220%, and T4-207%, respectively. This study showed that vermicast was still productive when used in a hybrid variety of eggplant compared to the usual use of either balanced fertilization or pure inorganic fertilizer, which has more or less the same productivity.