Horticultural Science and Technology 원예과학기술지 ISSN:1226-8763(Print) 2465-8588(Online)

We evaluated the effect of mixed liquid fertilizer (MLF) on growth responses of plants and soil chemical properties. To do so, a pot experiment with cherry tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme) using loam soil was conducted for 81 days in a temperature-controlled glasshouse, and four N fertilization treatments were laid out in a completely randomized design with three replicates: control (C), chemical fertilizer treatment (CF), and two rates (MLF-0.5 and MLF-1.0) of MLF treatment. Soils were periodically sampled and analyzed for pH, EC, total N, inorganic N and total C, and growth characteristics of cherry tomatoes were measured. During the experimental periods, the pH of MLF soils was higher than that of CF soils. Soil total-N content increased right after CF-application and ultimately decreased to the level of the control (C) soil, while MLF-application slightly increased the level of soil total-N and this level remained unchanged throughout the experiment. The levels of soil inorganic N content increased after application of CF or MLF, but the initial increase disappeared in 56 days after transplanting (DAT). The dry weight of shoots and roots increased in CF or MLF plants, while the number of fruit increased only in MLF plants. Whereas soluble solid contents were higher in MLF plants than in the other (C and CF) plants, the titratable acidity was not different among treatments. However, no consistent effect of N treatments on major elements of the organs of cherry tomatoes was found. The amounts of N taken up by plants were 0.91 g for CF, 0.61 g for MLF-1.0, 0.43 g for MLF-0.5, and 0.25 g for control treatments, resulting in greater N efficiency for CF than for MLF.