LIQUID MANURE AS A POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE NUTRIENT SOLUTION FOR ORGANIC STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION

The experiment was conducted at Horticultural Farm, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, during the period of November 2023 to February 2024. The single-factor experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications to study organic strawberry production. The experiment consisted of five treatments, namely: T₁: Recommended Fertilizer Dose (RFD); T₂: Vermi Tea (VT); T₃: SAU-MLM; T₄: SAU-NLM; and T₅: SAU-PLM. Treatments were applied to plants four times every 10 days, starting 7 days after plant transplantation. The effects on vegetative growth, yield attributes, and fruit quality (Brix%) were investigated, and they showed significant variation. The results showed that RFD (T₁) and SAU-PLM (T₅) treatments more prominently enhanced vegetative growth SPAD value and yield attributes; maximum flower number (19.3), fruit number (17.0), diameter of fruit (41.5 mm), fruit weight (39.1 g), leaf area (153.0 sq. cm), Brix value (8.6) recorded in T₅ treatment, and similar yield per plant are found in T₁ (632.3 g) and T₅ (636.3 g). Hence, it can be affirmed that SAU-PLM constitutes a potent liquid fertilizer capable of enhancing the growth and yield of strawberry plants.