Compost tea supplied by partial root-zone drying irrigation affected growth and productivity of eggplants and cucumbers grown in succession

Partial root-zone drying irrigation techniques and application of compost tea are practices that, when used separately, have demonstrated beneficial effects on crop productivity in organic farming, with efficient use of natural resources. The aim of this work was to investigate effects of the combination of applying compost tea and using partial root-zone drying irrigation on the growth of eggplants (<i>Solanum melongena</i> L.) and cucumbers (<i>Cucumis sativus</i> L.) grown in succession, on the quantity and quality of the fruits produced, and on soil nutrients after the two growing seasons. The objective was to assess how the two factors, irrigation technique and fertilising method, and the combination of the two, influenced the parameters investigated. Application of compost tea via partial root-zone drying irrigation resulted in well-developed plants and high yields with good quality fruit for both eggplants and cucumbers and did not lead to depletion of soil nutrients, compared with the use commercial organic fertilizers or standard irrigation. Most of the investigated parameters were affected by the interaction of the two factors, though the yield of both crops was more affected by the irrigation technique, while the fertilising approach had a greater effect on the quality of the cucumber fruit. Nevertheless, the combination of compost tea with partial root-zone drying irrigation resulted in competitive performance against the other treatments, whilst reducing the use of resources. The findings showed the effectiveness of applying compost tea by partial root-zone drying irrigation and this was recommended for organic agriculture systems.

局部根区灌溉（Partial root-zone drying irrigation）与堆肥茶（compost tea）施用这两项措施，单独使用时已被证实可在有机农业中提升作物产量并高效利用自然资源。本研究旨在探究堆肥茶施用与局部根区灌溉结合后，对连作茄子（<i>Solanum melongena</i> L.）和黄瓜（<i>Cucumis sativus</i> L.）生长、果实产量与品质，以及两季种植后土壤养分状况的影响，以明确灌溉方式、施肥方式及其交互作用对上述观测指标的调控效应。研究结果显示，与施用商品有机肥或常规灌溉相比，通过局部根区灌溉施用堆肥茶可促进两种作物植株健壮生长，获得高产优质果实，且不会造成土壤养分耗竭。多数观测指标受两种因素的交互作用影响，不过两种作物的产量更多受灌溉方式调控，而施肥方式对黄瓜果实品质的影响更为显著。尽管如此，堆肥茶与局部根区灌溉的组合处理相较于其他处理仍表现出相当的竞争力，同时降低了资源投入。本研究证实了局部根区灌溉施用堆肥茶的应用效果，因此该技术可在有机农业生产体系中推广应用。