INFULENCE OF AVOCADO WASTE AND COFFEE HUSK VERMICOMPOST AND VERMIWASH ON SEEDLING GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF COFFEE (Coffe arabica L.)

Abstract

Coffee is an important cash crop grown all over the world including Ethiopia. But in Ethiopia its production is low due to poor seedling quality and agronomic management. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of avocado waste and coffee husk vermicompost and vermiwash on seedling growth performance of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) at nursery condition, Hawassa, Ethiopia. A factorial combination of two level of vermiwash (with and without) and three types of vermicompost (coffee husk, avocado waste, 50% Coffee husk+50% avocado waste) and recommended rate of coffee growing media( 3:1 top soil with compost) as positive control and soil alone as (negative control), these were laid out in CRD with three replications. Vermiwash was prepared by 50% of avocado waste plus 50% coffee husk. Whereas vermicompost were prepared by avocado waste, coffee husk and combined of avocado waste and coffee husk) and animal manure and grass were added uniformly for all wastes as starter and bedding material. 200g of VC produced from d/f wastes (avocado, coffee husk and combined of avocado and coffee husk were applied for all experimental units (polyethylene bags) except negative control and positive control. While 100ml of VW was applied for half of the experimental units. All agronomic practice were done as per required until the final growth stage of coffee seedlings. The initial soil, vermicompost and vermiwash sample were well prepared and analyzed for their chemical composition. All coffee seedling growth parameters data were collected properly and analyzed by SAS software and the treatment mean was compared using LSD at 5% probability level. The results showed that all growth parameters (plant height, leaf number, leaf area, number of node, root length, shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, shoot dry weight and root dry weight) except internode length were significantly(<0.001) influenced by the interaction effect of vermicompost and vermiwash. The result indicated, the highest plant height(21.3cm), leaf number(12), leaf area(75cm 2 ), number node(6), root length (21.3cm ),shoot fresh weight(9.09g), root fresh weight (5.1g), shoot dry weight(2.86g) and root dry weight (0.67g) per plant were obtained from the interaction of coffee husk vermicompost with vermiwash. While the lowest plant height(9.8cm), leaf number(4.2), leaf area (23.94cm 2 ), number of node(2.17), root length(9.67cm), shoot fresh weight(2.55g), root fresh weight (2.57g), shoot dry weight(0.39g) and root dry weight (0.25g) per plant were obtained from soil without vermiwash (negative control). Therefore the interaction application of coffee husk vermicompost along with vermiwash is the best treatment to improving coffee seedling growth performance.