effect of compost tea on the quality promotion of sweet corn (zea mays var. rugosa) in organic cultivation

Purpose: a field experiment was designed to determine the effects of compost tea on the quality parameters of sweet corn produced without the use of mineral fertilizers. research method: this research was conducted in the taraba state university teaching and research farm, jalingo, nigeria in 2023. the fertilizer treatments in this study were 500kg ha-1 npk fertilizer (control), 1 kg compost per 10 l water compost tea, 1 kg compost per 20 l water compost tea and 1 kg compost per 30 l water compost tea, arranged in randomized complete block design, replicated thrice. findings: the results indicated that the treatments had significant (p ≤ 0.05) effects on the physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of the sweet corn evaluated. the mineral (npk) fertilizer treatment gave highest mean total soluble sugar content (33.13 mg g-1), followed by 1 kg compost per 10 l water compost tea (33.10 mg g-1), then 1 kg compost per 20 l water compost tea (31.72 mg g-1) and 1 kg compost per 30 l water compost tea gave the lowest total soluble sugar content (29.88 mg g-1). yet, the effects of 1 kg compost per 10 l water compost tea treatment and mineral (npk) fertilizer treatment were the same (p > 0.05). research limitations: there were no limitations to the report. originality/value: this study illustrated the possibility of utilizing 1 kg compost per 10 l water compost tea concentration to produce a good yield and quality of sweet corn without mineral fertilizers.