Background: The influence of inorganic fertilizer has posed considerable challenges on increasing food production worldwide. A careful plan is required to increase the yield and quality of crops. A profound knowledge on the use of organic manure involvement in plant growth and development could be beneficial for food production. The use of acceptable inorganic and different concentrations of vermicompost has been used in an attempt to enhance crop growth and development with the aim of increasing food production. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of vermicompost tea concentrate extracted from cow manure and grass cutting on physiological responses of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).Vegetative growth and yield of tomato was stimulated by mineralization of organic waste coupled with the mesophilic action of earthworm. Vermicompost is a by-product of earthworm tissues. It is a nutrient source rich in essential components for plant growth and development. Methods: An investigation was conducted in pot media under exposed natural conditions from August 2020 to November 2020 at Mangosuthu University of Technology. In this experiment, the growth of tomato plants were subjected to different vermicompost concentrations and amended with NPK fertilizer were studied. Sandy loam soil of about 5 kg were weighted into pot media (2.0mheight, 2.3m diameter). The experiment was set up in a completely randomized block design consisting of five treatments with five replicates per treatment. Treatments included: Positive control (PC), 5%VCL+NPK, 10% VCL+NPK, 20%VCL+NPK and the inorganic (NPK). Result: Results revealed that there were significant differences at (P less than 0.01) among the treatments with respect to plant height and number of leaves from week three to week eight. Similar trends were found with 5% VCL+NPK, 10% VCL+NPK, 20% VCL+NPK and the NPK treatments. This may be due to phytohormone release from earthworm tissue. Tomato flower inflorescence was significant at (P less than 0.01). Tomato fruit, different components at harvest which were, weight wet and dry weight were higher with NPK treated at (P less than 0.01) than the 5% VCL+NPK, 10% VCL+NPK. Root length in 20% concentration was considerably higher than the other treatments. The results showed that minimum supplementation with inorganic fertiliser may be necessary with vermicompost leachate in order to successfully grow crops in nutrient deficient soil.

The experiment conducted with lettuce, tomato and maize seeds pre-soaked in 5, 10, 20 per cent vermicompost concentrations and for 10 hrs and supplemented with NPK fertilizer showed that vermicompost at 10 per cent concentration produced maximum seed germination in lettuce and tomato, while maximum germination in maize seeds was obtained with 20 per cent vermicompost concentration. There was a significant difference in the number of leaves, length of shoot, length of root, wet and dry weight of plants tested at (P<0.01) across treatments. It was concluded that pre-soaking seeds in vermicompost leachate was beneficial in maximising plant growth.

Agricultural sustainability is an indicator for economic prospect across the globe. The revolution of industrial development and the growth of annual crop to meet the need of increasing world population is a determining factor for SOC availability. Sustainability of agriculture is largely related to SOC and management practices. Agro-ecological stability is significant to soil type and fertility input. Organic matter is a combination of plant residue and/ or animal waste. This is capable of accumulating carbon and nitrogen in the soil. It retains water and support the buildup of organic carbon. It enhances the stability of SOC and crop yield. The use of organic matter is effective at stabilizing the microbial communities. Carbon sequestration is high with crops that have abundant residues. SOC can potentially mitigate climate change. It prevents the use of minimum and conventional tillage. Higher deposit of SOC is associated with crop yield. Perennial crop cultivation such as cup plant (Siliphium perforliatum. L.) can potentially sequestrate carbon into the soil than annual crop. SOC are often exhausted with the cultivation of annual crop such as maize. However, SOC can be retained by growing clover in between harvests and the next sowing. Mineral fertilizer can likewise accumulate SOC but not as efficient as the use organic manure and plant residue. Perennial crop was found useful at preventing environmental degradation and soil compaction. Consistent assessment of SOC is essential for continuous food production and plant growth. This can be achieved through a multidimensional software called multiple linear regression.