Efficacy of a fungus-based biofertilizer complex on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) productivity in Togo

Abstract

To meet the challenges imposed by conventional fertilization practices in agriculture, the use of biofertilizers appears to be a better alternative for increasing productivity while preserving production resources. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a fungus-based biofertilizer complex on tomato crop productivity. The experimental set-up used was based on a completely randomized block design with four levels, each repeated four times: treatment T0 (no fertilization), treatment T1 (exclusive use of biofertilizers), treatment T2 (combination of biofertilizers with 100 kg 15-15-15 fertilizer + 50 kg urea 46%), and treatment T3 (200 kg 15-15-15 fertilizer + 100 kg urea 46%). Parameters assessed were plant size, number of fruits produced per plant and tomato fruit yield. The results show that all these parameters vary significantly from the control group. The highest tomato fruit yields were observed in treatments T3 and T2, reaching 33.1 t.ha-1 and 31.7 t.ha-1 respectively. Further analysis showed that there was no significant difference between these two yields, suggesting that halving the chemical fertilizer dose, in combination with the use of biofertilizers, maintained yields at a high level. Compared with the control, the treatment based exclusively on biofertilizers generated a yield increase of around 45%. The significant difference in yield recorded between the control (T0) and the treatments based on biofertilizers alone (T1) testified to the positive impact of the fungus-based biofertilizers applied.

Keywords: Tomato, biofertilizers, fungi, agricultural productivity