Improvement Effect of Vermicompost on Continuous Cropping Obstacle Soil of Cherry Tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i> Mill.)

The continuous cropping obstacles of cherry tomato are serious in Lingshui county, Hainan Province, China. It is imperative to soil improvement. Vermicompost is one of the most ideal soil amendment. The field experiments were conducted to explore the improvement effect of vermicompost on typical continuous cropping obstacle soil from the viewpoints of yield and quality of cherry tomato, soil chemical properties and micro-ecological environment. After applying vermicompost in cropping obstacles soil of cherry tomato, the yield of cherry tomato was increased by 50.9%, and the contents of soluble sugar and vitamin C were increased by 10.9% to 26.7% and 4.6% to 6.2%, respectively. Those of soil organic matter, available Ca and Mg were increased by 10.8%, 92% and 48.9%, respectively. Those of trace elements Mn, Zn and B were increased by 24%, 16.5% and 41.9%, respectively. The activities of soil urease, acid phosphatase and catalase were enhanced by 41.3%, 20.9% and 24.2%, respectively. Furthermore, the composition of soil microbial community was obviously optimized, with the ratio of bacteria to fungi and the relative abundance of soil beneficial microorganisms being significantly increased after applying vermicompost. In conclusion, the yield of cherry tomato was significantly increased, and the quality of cherry tomato, soil chemical properties and micro-ecological environment were obviously improved after applying vermicompost.