CYANOBACTERIAL ENRICHED VERMICOMPOST IN ASH GOURD (Benincasa hispida) CULTIVATION UNDER REDUCED CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS

The experiment was conducted in the Horticultural Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka during the period May 2025 to August 2025 to find out the efficacy of cyanobacteria (Spirulina and Oscillatoria) enriched vermicompost on the growth, yield and quality ash gourd (Benincasa hispida) and to evaluate the nutrient use efficiency under different treatments, and to determine the economic feasibility and environmental benefits of using enriched vermicompost. The experiment involved four treatments 100% Recommended Dose (RDF) by BARI (T₁), 75% RD + Plain Vermicompost (T₂), 75% RD + Spirulina Enriched Vermicompost (T₃) and 75% RD + Oscillatoria Enriched Vermicompost (T₄) following Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications in each plot. The results revealed a significant variation among the different treatments under study. The application of T₄ treatments showed highest performance in terms of better growth and yield. The yield obtained from T₄ was 47 ton/hectare which was 34.67% higher than the chemical treatment T₁ (34.9 ton/hectare). The application of T₂ and T₃ treatment both perform poorly over chemical treatment T₁. However, T₄ treatment exhibits the best result in every parameter. So, the T₄ treatment could be the best choice to produce climate resilient ash gourd production under reduced chemical fertilizers.