Effect of Organic Amendments in Sandy Soils on Increasing Tomato Yield at Rooftop Garden

Growing interest in rooftop gardening as an ecologically friendly form of urban agriculture requires investigation of successful soil management practices to overcome the inherent limitations associated with sandy soils, including their low nutrient retention and water-holding capacities. The objective was to examine the effects of different organic amendments on growth parameters, yield attributes, and nutrient uptake of BRRI Hybrid Summer Tomato 4 (Solanum lycopersicum) under rooftop situation by using sandy soil as the growing medium. The treatments T0 (100% Sand –Control), T1 (50% Sand + 50% Compost), T2 (50% Sand + 50% Coco Peat), T3 (50% Sand + 50% Household Ash) and T4 (50% Sand + 50%Rice Husk) were used. Among various treatments, T1 was proved superior to others for plant height, fruit number, and yield per plant due to enhanced availability of nutrient and soil structure with compost application. Altogether, T3 was proved to contain the highest plant tissue phosphorus and potassium contents, implicating ash might be able to stimulate specific nutrient absorption. According to these findings, using organic materials (ash and compost) is a plausible way to increase tomato yields in rooftop gardens, reduce the limitations of sandy substrates, and create sustainable urban food systems by making efficient use of resources.

Keywords: Sandy soil; Organic amendments; Yield, Rooftop; Summer Tomato.