Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
O E Aina, L L Mugivhisa, J O Olowoyo and S O Amoo
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, South Africa
Agricultural Research Council, South Africa
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci
The study was conducted to compare growth and yield performances and the levels of phytochemical compounds and antioxidant activities of tomato fruits cultivated on different soil amendments (cow dung, chicken droppings and NPK) in a shaded house. Tomato seedlings were transplanted into pre-treated soils and watered daily for a period of five months. The growth rate such as plant height, leaf area index and stem girth were recorded weekly for 15 weeks and the fruits were harvested at maturity and subjected to both phytochemical and antioxidant activity analyses using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV) spectrophotometer respectively. The general growth and yield performances were in the order of NPK > chicken droppings > cow dung. The level of beta-carotene was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the fruits cultivated in the soil amended with NPK fertilizer which was a different pattern to other observed phytochemical compounds. The concentrations of other phytochemical compounds was in the order of cow dung > control > NPK > chicken droppings. Although, there was no significant difference in the mean concentrations of the antioxidant activities, there were significant differences recorded in phytochemical compounds of the fruits from different treatments. This study revealed an inverse relationship between growth rate, yield performance and the level of phytochemical compounds. It was observed that farming method had considerable effect on the phytochemical compounds and antioxidant activity of tomato fruits. Although, inorganic NPK fertilizer had higher growth rates and better yield, organic manures (cow dung) however had a higher stimulatory effect on phytochemical compounds like phenolic, flavonoid, lycopene and antioxidant activity. This observation agrees with a lot of literature on the effect of farming method on the quality and quantity of plants. Therefore, in the effort to balance environmental sustainability and maintaining quality fruit production, this study will recommend more usage of free and readily available organic manures as a source of soil fertility management.
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