Eect of organic manures and mulching materials on growth, yield and quality of Carrot 

Eect of organic manures and mulching materials on growth, yield and quality of Carrot | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Eect of organic manures and mulching materials on growth, yield and quality of Carrot Amanuel Kuma This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4540262/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Carrot is a root vegetable crop. The management of agronomic practices is an important factor that strongly affects the growth, yield and quality of carrots. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different types of organic manure and mulching materials on the growth, yield and quality of carrots in Diguna Fango District, southern Ethiopia. The study consisted of four organic manures (control, 20 t PM ha − 1 , 20 t FYM ha − 1 and 20 t mixed manure (10 t PM + 10 t FYM) ha − 1) and three types of mulching (no mulching, sawdust mulching and grass mulching) laid in the RCBD, with four replications in a factorial arrangement. Analysis was performed using the SAS software package. Root diameter, fresh weight, dry weight, yield and total yield were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by the interaction effect of organic manure and mulching materials. Among the different combinations, 20 t of mixed manure (10 t PM + 10 t FYM) with grass mulch ha − 1 surpassed all the other combinations in terms of maximum root length (22.45 cm), root diameter (6.60 cm), fresh weight (179.25 g), dry weight (26.16 g), marketable root yield (27.90 t ha − 1 ) and total root yield (33.92 t ha − 1 ) during the experimental year. Similarly, PM with grass mulching also produced better results pertaining to carrot growth and yield. Based on these results, the greatest net benefit (360,520 Birr ha − 1 ) with an MRR of 3803% was obtained from the treatment combination of 20 t FYM with grass mulching. Therefore, the use of 20 t FYM with grass mulching could be recommended for carrot production in the study area. Since this study is limited by the use of organic manure with mulching materials during one season and at one location, the results should be repeated across seasons and locations. Cracking Forking and Sawdust Figures Figure 1 1. INTRODUCTION Carrot ( Daucus carota L.) is one of the most widely consumed, economically important, nutritious and delicious root vegetables and belongs to the Umbelliferea family [ 42 ]. Domestic carrots originate from wild plants growing in Afghanistan [ 43 ]. It has been reported that carrots with purple roots were domesticated in Afghanistan and spread to the Eastern Mediterranean area under Arab influence in the 10th to 12th centuries and to Western Europe in the 14th century [ 13 ]. Carrots were first introduced to China by the 13th century, and their cultivation spread from the Middle East to Italy, Spain and throughout Europe in the fourteenth century [ 48 ]. The exact timing of the introduction of carrots to Ethiopia is unknown, and the crop has been known since the early 1960s in the research system [ 40 ]. Worldwide, production has approached 44,762,859 tons of carrot and turnips on 1,137,738 hectares on a yearly basis, with an average yield of 37 t ha − 1 [ 33 ]. The development of cultivars adapted for cultivation in both the summer and winter seasons on all continents has allowed for the year-round availability of carrot products with relatively stable prices to consumers [ 63 ]. The top three carrot-producing countries in terms of production are China, Uzbekistan and the United States of America, with total productions of 21,482,971, 2,769,613 and 2,259,000 tons, respectively [ 33 ]. The three main carrot-producing countries in Africa are Algeria, Morocco, and Kenya, with total production levels of 419,534, 412,219 and 329,025 tons, respectively [ 28 ]. In Ethiopia, the total area under carrot production was approximately 4,135 ha, 16590.56 tons of which were produced in 2021, for an average yield of 6.5 t ha − 1 [ 21 ]. This showed that the production of carrots in Ethiopia is significantly under the global average (37 t ha − 1 ) (Eagri, 2022 [ 28 ] and FAO-Stat, 2022) [ 33 ]. Ethiopia has diverse agroclimatic conditions that provide favorable environments for carrot cultivation [ 1 ]. However, traditional agricultural practices in the country have heavily relied on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, leading to soil degradation, water pollution, and negative impacts on human health [ 38 ]. Consequently, there is a pressing need to transition toward more sustainable and eco-friendly farming methods [ 66 ]. In recent years, several studies have explored the potential of organic farming as an alternative approach to improve agricultural sustainability [ 41 ]. Organic fertilizers, such as compost, manure and green manures, are considered essential components of organic agriculture because they enhance soil fertility, increase nutrient availability, promote beneficial soil microorganisms and enhance yield [ 14 ]. Getachew et al . (2012) [ 38 ] demonstrated the positive effects of organic fertilizers on crop growth and yield in different regions of Ethiopia. However, specific research on organic carrot production in Diguna Fango District is limited, and there is a knowledge gap regarding the comparative performance of different organic manures on carrot crops in this region [ 68 ]. Understanding the effectiveness of various organic manure types with mulching on carrot growth under the specific agroclimatic conditions of Diguna Fango District is crucial for farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices and improve their livelihoods [ 49 ]. The primary research problem addressed in this study was the lack of comprehensive data on the performance of carrot cultivation using organic manure with mulching in Diguna Fango District. Consequently, farmers may be hesitant to shift from using inorganic fertilizer to using organic fertilizer due to uncertainty about its efficacy and economic viability. This study focused on data on carrot yield under organic manure with mulching; however, further studies that include information on the soil before and after the application of mulching, nutrient status before use, and weather conditions during the experiment are important, and a lack of such information is considered a limitation of the study. Several studies have been conducted to determine the effects of organic manures on the growth and yield of carrots, but studies on the effect of organic mulching practices with organic nutrient supplementation on the growth and yield of carrots are rare. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of organic manure on the mulched and unmulched conditions of carrots. Objective of the study : To investigate the growth, yield and quality response of carrots to different organic manures and mulching materials in the Diguna Fango District, southern Ethiopia. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1. Description of the Study Site The experiment was conducted at Waraza Lasho Kebele of Diguna Fango District, Wolaita, Ethiopia, during the 2023 main cropping season from February to May. The experimental site is located 431 km south of Addis Ababa at 6 0 59’0" N latitude and 37 0 59’0" E longitude with an elevation of 1800 m.a.s.l. The area receives annual rainfall of 1500 mm, and the average minimum and maximum temperatures are 16°C and 25°C, respectively (Diguna Fango Woreda Information Desk, 2016). The soil is sandy clay loam in texture and slightly acidic, with a pH of 6.1. 2.2. Experimental Materials The Nantes orange-colored carrot variety imported from the Netherlands and certified by the EIRA was used as the planting material. Poultry manure, farmyard manure and mixed poultry and farmyard manures were used as mineral sources. Grass and sawdust were used as mulching materials for the study. 2.3. Experimental design and treatment combinations The treatments consisted of four levels of organic manure (0, 20 t PM, 20 t FYM, and 20 t mixed (10 t PM + 10 t FYM) ha − 1 ) and three mulching materials (no mulching, sawdust mulching and grass mulching), for a total of 12 treatment combinations (Table 1 ). The treatments were arranged in a 4×3 factorial combination in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Table 1 Treatment combinations Treatments Treatment Combination Organic manures Mulching OM 0 OM 0 OM 0 OM 1 OM 1 OM 1 OM 2 OM 2 OM 2 OM 3 OM 3 OM 3 M 0 M 1 M 2 M 0 M 1 M 2 M 0 M 1 M 2 M 0 M 1 M 2 Control Control x Sawdust mulching Control x Grass mulching 20t PM 20t PM with Sawdust mulching 20t PM with Grass mulching 20t FYM 20t FYM with Sawdust mulching 20t FYM with Grass mulching 20t (10t FYM + 10t PM) 20t (10t FYM + 10t PM) with Saw dust mulching 20t (10t FYM + 10t PM) with Grass mulching Note: OM 0 = Control, OM 1 = 20 t PM ha − 1 , OM 2 = 20 t FYM 20 t ha − 1 , OM 3 = 20 t Mixed manure (10 t FYM + 10 t PM) ha − 1 , M 0 = no mulching, M 1 = sawdust mulching and M 2 = grass mulching. 2.4. Soil Sampling and Analysis Before sowing, soil samples were taken from the entire experimental field to a depth of 0–30 cm by the zig-zag method using a soil augur. The samples were air-dried, ground, passed through a 2 mm sieve and thoroughly mixed to obtain one composite sample. The following parameters were determined in the Soil Laboratory of the Areka Agricultural Research Center. The soil samples were then analyzed for soil texture, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, available calcium, available magnesium, available sodium, available sulphur, available boron, soil pH and CEC. The pH of the soil was determined according to [ 32 ] using a 1:2.5 (weight/volume) soil sample-to-water ratio and a glass electrode attached to a digital pH meter. The organic carbon content was determined by the volumetric method as described in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Guide for Laboratory Establishment for Plant Neutrophil Analysis [ 32 ]. Available phosphorus was determined according to [ 58 ] by the Olsen method using a spectrophotometer. Total nitrogen was determined using the Kjeldahl method as described by [ 20 ]. 2.5. Organic manure sampling and analysis Before incorporation into the soil, organic manure samples were taken. The samples were air-dried, ground, passed through a 2 mm sieve and thoroughly mixed to obtain one composite sample. The following parameters were determined in the Soil Laboratory of the Areka Agricultural Research Center. The pH, organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents of the manure samples were analyzed via a digital pH meter, the Walkley and Black Rapid titration method, Olsen’s method, and the flame photometer method, respectively [ 44 ]. 2.6. Experimental Procedures Organic manures and mulching materials were prepared near the study area from December to February. By using the sealed pit method, FYM was prepared in the back yard of a model farmer who has a cattle farm in the study area through the anaerobic decomposition of farm wastes (dung, urine and litter) in underground pits by sealing the surface of the pit with dung slurry for three months, and poultry manure was purchased from egg and meat poultry entrepreneurs. The plants in the experimental field were plowed with oxen to a fine tilth four times, and the blocks were leveled. According to the design, a field layout was established, and each treatment was assigned randomly to the experimental units within a block. A total of 48 experimental plots were laid out as indicated above, with 0.2 m×0.1 m spacing between rows and plants. The spaces between the plot and the block were 0.5 m and 0.8 m, respectively. The total experimental area was 29.5 m in length and 8.8 m in width (259.6 m 2 ). The seeds were sown at a depth of 1.5 cm within a plot with a length of 2 m, width of 1.6 m and plot area of 3.2 m 2 in rows according to the treatment. In the experimental plot with five rows, the seeds were sown on February 19th, 2023, to prepare holes. The organic manures were applied one month before the sowing date to allow for the requirement of substantial time for mineralization of manures and mulching applied after sowing. Two thinning was performed to maintain the optimum plant population. The first thinning was performed 30 days after sowing, and the second thinning was performed 10 days after the first thinning. Earthling of the plants was performed twice, at 30 and 60 DAS, to protect them from direct sunlight, which could cause undesirable green coloration. Cultural practices were applied uniformly to all the plots throughout the growing period. Continuous weeding by hand pulling was performed to ensure clean fields. Harvesting was performed on May 26th, 2023, when the leaves began to log down. 2.7. Data collection and measurement 2.7.1. Growth Parameters Plant height (cm) Plant height was measured using a meter ruler from the soil surface to the tip of the longest leaf of ten randomly selected plants growing in middle rows (net plot area) at 30, 60 and 90 DAS, and the mean values were computed. Number of leaves per plant The number of leaves was counted for ten randomly selected plants grown in the net plot area at 30, 60 and 90 DAS, and the mean values per plant were computed. Leaf length (cm) Leaf length was measured using a meter ruler from the point of emergence to the tip of the leaf for ten randomly selected plants at 30, 60 and 90 DAS and is expressed as the mean value in centimeters (cm). 2.7.2. Yield Parameters Root length (cm) The length of the roots was measured using a meter ruler for ten randomly selected plants from the net plot at harvest from the base of the root to the top of the root, and the mean values were computed. Root diameter (cm) The size of the roots was measured using a side caliper for ten randomly selected plants from the net plot area and divided by the number of sampled plants to obtain the mean values, which were subsequently computed. Fresh weight of the roots (g) The roots of ten sample plants were uprooted and cut from the base of the petiole, and any loose soil was removed. The surface moisture was removed, and the plants were weighed immediately to a sensitive balance; the values are expressed in grams. The mean values were used for further analysis. Dry weight of the roots (g) Ten randomly selected plant roots at harvest were removed and chopped into small pieces with the help of a stainless steel knife. The samples were placed on drying materials, kept in a laboratory room for three days, placed in paper bags and dried in an oven at 70°C for 48 hours. After drying, each sample was weighed using a digital sensitive balance, and the average was computed and recorded as the dry weight of the roots. Marketable root yield (t ha − 1 ) Roots that were free from mechanical damage, disease and insect pest damage; uniform in color; and medium to large in size were considered marketable. The yield was determined as the weight of the healthy and saleable yield of ten sample plants from central rows, avoiding border effects, and by converting this yield to tons per hectare, the data were used for further analysis. Unmarketable root yield (t ha − 1 ) Roots that were cracked, hairy, misshaped, decayed, discolored, diseased or physiologically disordered were considered unmarketable. The weights of the roots obtained from the net plot area of each plot were measured in kilograms using a scaled balance and are expressed in tons per hectare. Total yield (t ha − 1 ): Summations of the marketable and unmarketable root yields from the net plot area were recorded. The yield of every plot was weighed and divided by the number of plants to determine the yield per plant, and the yield t ha − 1 was estimated. Dry matter content (%) : Dry matter content was measured by weighing randomly selected roots from the net plot and is expressed as a percentage. 2.7.3. Quality Parameters Forked root (%) Roots that were misshaped at the tip, slightly shortened and multi-rooted with several divergent tap roots were considered forked roots. The number of forked roots per plot harvested from the net plot area was recorded for each treatment, and the percentage was calculated according to the formula given below. Cracked root (%) : Roots that were vertically cracked running along the length of the tap root, bent, twisted or splinted were considered cracked roots. The number of such roots per plot was recorded for each treatment, and the percentage was calculated according to the formula below. Total soluble solids (TSS) The total soluble solids of all the roots of five randomly selected plants from the net plot were chopped, and the total soluble solids (TSS) were tested in the Wolaita Sodo University Horticulture Department Laboratory by placing three drops of transparent juice on a prism refract meter. Before being utilized for subsequent readings, the refractometer prism was dried with tissue paper and cleaned with distilled water between samples. The refractometer was calibrated at 0.0 ° C using distilled water, readings were observed on a scale, and averages were expressed in °Brix. 2.8. Partial Budget Analysis The partial budget analysis was considered using the methods described in [ 22 ] with the mean marketable yield of each treatment, the gross benefit and the field price of inputs of organic manures, mulching materials and seeds of carrot. Gross average yield (t ha − 1 ) (AvY) The average yield of each treatment Adjusted yield (AjY) Is the average yield adjusted downward by 10% to reflect the difference between the experimental yield and yield of farmers? Gross field benefit (GFB) Obtained by multiplying the field price that farmers receive for the crop when they sell it by the adjusted yield. Total variable costs (TVC) (ETB ha − 1 ) Summation of the total cost of organic manure, carrot seed, labor cost, weeding cost and application costs of organic fertilizers for the experiment. Net benefit (NB) The NB was calculated as the amount of money left when the total variable costs (TVC) were deducted from the gross field benefit (GFB). The marginal rate of return (MRR %) was calculated as the change in net benefit (NB) divided by the change in total variable cost (TVC) of the successive net benefit and total variable cost levels [ 22 ]. 2.9. Statistical analysis The data were subjected to ANOVA using the statistical analysis software (SAS) version 9.3 (SAS, 2014). The least significant difference (LSD 0.05 ) test was used for mean separation when the analyses of variance indicated the presence of a significant difference. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1. Soil physicochemical properties at the experimental site Table 2. Physicochemical characteristics of the experimental soil before planting Soil properties pH OC (%) P (ppm) TN (%) S (ppm) TB (%) CEC Mg Na K Values 6.1 2.7 11.4 0.15 12.05 0.47 23.5 12.1 2.2 0.36 Rating Low Medium Medium Medium Low Medium Medium Medium Low 3.2. Physicochemical properties of the organic manures Areka Agricultural Research Center Soil Laboratory, 2023 3.3. Growth Components of Carrot 3.3.1. Plant height (cm) Analysis of variance revealed that the main effects of organic manure and mulching had significant (P ≤ 0.05) effects on plant height at different growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS) (Appendix Table 1). The mean plant height varied in relation to the growth period, and the application of 20 t of mixed manure significantly increased the plant height. The application of mixed manure resulted in a significantly greater mean height at all growth phases (30, 60 and 90 DAS), except at 90 DAS, which was significantly greater than that at 20 t PM and 20 t mixed manure. At 30 DAS, the maximum (25.68 cm) mean plant height was recorded in the 20 t mixed manure treatment, while the minimum (19.30 cm) height was recorded in the control treatment. The results showed that the plants treated with organic manure had taller plant heights than did the control plants. The increase in vegetative growth might be due to the role of nitrogen in promoting vegetative growth, enhancing cell division and elongation, and enhancing chlorophyll synthesis. Phosphorus is easily mobilized in plants and translocated to the meristematic zone, increasing leaf formation and development in carrots, and potassium activates many enzymes involved in respiration and photosynthesis. FYM and PM improved the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, which promoted better nutrient absorption and utilization by plants, resulting in improved plant growth. The application of organic manure likely improved the uptake of nutrients by plants [62]. In line with the results of the present study [15] confirmed that organic manure application significantly increased plant height. This value decreased as the type of organic manure differed, and ultimately, the lowest value of this growth parameter was recorded in the control treatment of carrots [61]. The mean height of the plants in the mulching treatments varied in relation to the growth period; grass mulching had the tallest (23.88 cm) mean height, while the no mulching treatment had the shortest (15.81 cm) mean height at 30 DAS. The longest (39.76 cm) mean plant height was recorded at the peak growth stage at 60 DAS in the grass mulch treatment, while the shortest (28.11 cm) height was recorded in the no mulching treatment. The highest (59.58 cm) mean plant height at harvest was recorded in response to the application of grass mulch, while the shortest height was from the control (46.66 cm), which was significantly inferior to that in response to saw dust mulch but similar to that in response to the other treatments (Table 4). The increase in plant height due to mulching might be attributed to the favorable soil moisture and temperature conditions needed for proper plant growth. 3.3.2. Number of Leaves per Plant Analysis of variance revealed that the main effects of organic manure and mulching had significant (P ≤ 0.05) effects on the number of leaves per plant at different growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS); however, mulching did not have a significant (P ≥ 0.05) effect at 30 DAS (Appendix Table 1). The application of 20 t of mixed manure resulted in a significantly greater mean leaf numbers at all growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS), except for the results obtained with the application of 20 t of PM and 20 t of FYM at 60 and 90 DAS. The maximum number of leaves per plant was recorded (17.31) from the 20 t mixed manure treatment at 90 DAS, while the minimum number of leaves per plant was 5.03 from the control. This might be because mixed manure enhances soil fertility by increasing soil porosity, aeration, moisture holding capacity, and available plant nutrients; by acting as complex fertilizer granules; and by accelerating nitrogen mineralization, which in turn improves plant canopy growth. The highest number of leaves per plant was recorded in the grass mulch treatment group at 30, 60 and 90 DAS. On the other hand, the lowest leaf number was recorded in the treatment without mulch at 30 DAS. The increased number of leaves with different mulch types might be attributed to the supply of moisture, which possibly accelerated cell division and elongation, leading to the production of more leaves, leaf development and an increased number of leaves. As [45] reported that grass mulch treatment was the best among the various mulch treatments and recorded a maximum (16.82) number of leaves per plant of carrot. 3.3.3. Leaf length (cm) Analysis of variance revealed that the main effects of organic manure and mulching had significant (P ≤ 0.05) effects on leaf length at different growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS); however, mulching did not have a significant (P ≥ 0.05) effect at 30 DAS. (Appendix Table 1). The mean leaf length varied in relation to the growth period, and the application of organic manure significantly increased the leaf length. The application of 20 t of mixed manure significantly improved the mean leaf length at all growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS), but the values were significantly similar to those obtained with the application of 20 t of poultry manure at 60 and 90 DAS. The maximum leaf length (58.15 cm) was recorded for the 20 t mixed manure treatment at 90 DAS, while the minimum leaf length per plant was 12.46 cm for the control treatment at 30 DAS (Table 4). This might be because FYM + PM enhanced the nutrient content of the soil, providing a balanced supply of essential elements required for carrot plants to thrive. These manures contain a wide range of macronutrients, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), as well as micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and iron. The gradual release of nutrients from organic manure ensures a sustained and steady supply, preventing nutrient deficiencies and promoting optimum plant growth. These findings are in agreement with the results of [65] who reported that the leaf length of carrots varied with different types of manure application. Leaf length differed significantly due to the different mulch applications. The greatest leaf length was recorded in the grass mulch treatment (42.67 cm) at 90 DAS, while the lowest leaf length was recorded in the control treatment (9.17 cm) at 30 DAS. The use of mulching in crops not only increases growth but also plays a vital role in soil moisture conservation by creating a physical barrier between the soil and the environment. Moreover, these methods are helpful for weed control, water and soil conservation and for boosting the production and quality of crops. This result is in accordance with the findings of [12]. 3.4. Yield and yield-related components 3.4.1. Root length (cm) The analysis of the data revealed that the main effects of organic manure and mulching on root length were significant (P ≤ 0.05) (Appendix Table 2). The longest root length (22.45 cm) was recorded in the 20 t mixed manure treatment, while the shortest root length (13.16 cm) was recorded in the control treatment (Table 5). The length of carrot roots depends on the physical characteristics of the soil. The highest root length in OM 3 might be due to the positive effects of FYM and PM on the physical characteristics of the soil. These findings are consistent with those of [4], who reported that the maximum root length (21.0 cm) from half PM + half FYM varied with the type of manure applied (FYM, PM or leaf manure). These findings agree with those of [55], who reported that organic manure (PM and FYM) improves the soil structure and maintains uniform soil moisture and nutrient levels, which allows carrots to extend their root length to deeper soil layers. Root length differed significantly due to the different mulch applications. The maximum root length (21.15 cm) was recorded in the M 2 (grass) mulch treatment, which was significantly different from that in the other treatments. The minimum root length (13.16 cm) was found in no mulch applied treatment (Table 5). A favorable soil-water-plant relationship is created by placing mulch over the soil surface. The microclimate surrounding plants and soil is significantly affected by mulch, i.e., the thermodynamic environment, moisture, erosion, physical soil structure, incidence of pests and diseases, crop growth and yield. [8] Revealed that different types of organic mulch generated higher soil temperature and soil moisture under mulch than did the control. The results obtained in this study clearly indicated that carrots responded well to organic manures and organic mulching materials. 3.4.2. Root diameter (cm) The analysis of the data revealed that the interaction effect (P ≤0.05) on root diameter was significant (Appendix Table 2). The maximum diameter of the roots (6.60 cm) was recorded from the 20 t of mixed manure with sawdust mulch applied ha -1 , which was significantly different than that of the other organic manure treatments. On the other hand, the minimum root diameter (2.47 cm) was observed in the treatment in which no organic manure was applied with grass mulch. In the present study, the difference in root size might be due to increased microbial activity in the root zone because of the adequate moisture availability and optimum temperature combined with the stabilized soil pH, which decomposed organic manure and fixed unavailable forms of mineral nutrients into available forms in the soil, thereby substantiating crop requirements, improving the organic carbon level and stabilizing soil reactions. These findings are also in accordance with those of [56] who reported that different combinations of organic manures significantly affect the diameter and size of carrot roots. The minimum size of the carrot roots was observed in the control treatment compared with all the other treatments. Organic manure and mulching have been shown to supply the required plant nutrients, improve soil structure and water holding capacity, increase microbial activity, reduce evaporation, improve soil moisture and simultaneously promote plant growth and productivity [46]. In general, the combination of PM and FYM with sawdust mulch produced significantly greater growth and yield characteristics in crops during the whole growing season. The increase in root diameter due to organic manure with mulching might be attributed to favorable soil fertility, favorable soil moisture and favorable soil temperature conditions for proper plant growth [25]. This result is in accordance with the findings of [60]. The application of 20 t of mixed (PM with FYM) manure improved vegetative growth and increased root diameter and size in carrot plants, as reported by [16] which was in agreement with our findings. 3.4.3. Root fresh weight (g) The analysis of the data revealed that the interaction had a significant effect (P ≤ 0.05) on the fresh weight of the roots of the carrot plants (g) (Appendix Table 2). The maximum fresh weight per plant (179.25 g) was observed in the treatment in which 20 t of mixed manure was combined with grass mulch ha -1 . The minimum root weight per plant (44.32 g) was recorded for the control plot (Table 6). The increased fresh weight of from plants cultivated with different manures combined with mulch might be attributed to the supply of mineral nutrients by organic manures and moisture supplied by organic mulch, which possibly accelerated cell division and elongation activities, thereby increasing the weight and their development, leading to increased fresh weight. The difference in root weight due to the application of different manures implies that manures differ in terms of nutrient content and in their efficiency in enhancing root weight. A greater nutrient content in manure resulted in greater root weight. Among the different manures, mixed manure was the most effective, followed by poultry and farmyard manure. [47] Reported that application of 20 t ha -1 organic manure (PM, FYM and chicken manure) increased the yield of carrots (10%-20%). These results are consistent with the findings of [2], who reported that animal waste generated with mulching materials contains considerable amounts of plant nutrients. 3.4.4. Root dry weight (g) The interaction effect of organic manure and mulching application significantly (P ≤ 0.05) influenced the root dry weight of the carrot plants (Appendix Table 2). The maximum root dry weight (26.16 g) was observed in the 20 t of mixed manure with grass mulch/ha treatment. The minimum dry weight per plant (5.82 g) was recorded for the control treatment (Table 6). This result can be attributed to the slow release of nutrients from organic manures and their better utilization by carrots throughout the growing period, which might have resulted in a greater dry weight of the carrot roots. The increase in dry weight per plant in response to the application of PM + FYM may be attributed to the greater nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium availability in these plants than in those receiving other bulky organic manures. In line with the present study, [57] reported that the use of different organic manures (poultry, farmyard manure and cow dung) with mulch (grass, sugarcane straw and leaf mulch) on carrots resulted in significantly different root dry weights. These results are supported by the findings of) [58], who reported that the dry weight of roots was influenced by organics and mulching compared to those of the control group; however, in contrast with the findings of [52], who reported that under high nitrogen application, the plant grew well but had a low yield because vegetative growth was favored over root growth. 3.4.5. Marketable yield (t ha -1 ) The analysis of the data revealed that the interaction had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on the marketable root yield of the carrot plants (Appendix Table 3). The maximum marketable root yield (27.90 t ha -1 ) was obtained from the treatment in which 20 t of mixed manure was combined with grass mulch ha -1 , which was significantly different from that of the other treatments; in contrast, the minimum marketable yield (8.21 t ha -1 ) was recorded from the control treatment (Table 6). This difference might be due to the steady and readily available nutrients to the crops being present in greater quantities than during the slow release of organic manure. In the case of manures, substantial time is required for the plant to release available nutrients. The sole application of manures through FYM and/or PM or their combination had a lower yield than the combination of manures with mulching. The improvement in yield attributed to FYM + PM with grass mulch might be due to improved soil moisture holding capacity, soil moisture, and soil temperature; adequate availability of major nutrients and micronutrients due to favorable soil conditions; and an increase in the rate of photosynthesis, which further increases vegetative growth and yield by providing additional sites for the translocation of photosynthesis. These results are in accordance with the findings of [51], [61], [52]. [58] Reported similar findings that higher yields of roots in carrots were obtained when 15 t FYM ha -1 and 15 t PM ha -1 were used. This could be because nitrogen is the major constituent of chlorophyll, proteins and amino acids, the synthesis of which is accelerated by the increased supply of nitrogen in soil [9]. An analogous yield increase due to the amendments of poultry and FYM manure application was also reported in previous studies [66], which mentioned a significant yield increase in carrot plants following the application of manures in addition to grass mulching. 3.4.6. Total root yield (t ha -1 ) The analysis of the data revealed that the interaction had a significant (P ≤ 0.05) effect on the total root yield (Appendix Table 3). The maximum total root yield (33.92 t ha -1 ) was obtained from the treatment in which 20 t of mixed manure was combined with grass mulch ha -1 , which was significantly different from that of the other treatments, whereas the minimum yield (10.56 t ha -1 ) was recorded from the control treatment (Table 6). The yield of mixed poultry and farmyard manure combined with grass mulching surpassed that of all the other treatments by enhancing the root yield, followed by poultry manure. This difference might be due to the greater quantity of nutrients being steadily available than they were from other organic sources. The addition of organic manure by mulching improved the soil structure, increased its water holding capacity and facilitated aeration in the soil. Sugarcane also helps in the gradual release of nutrients into the soil, which makes it an ideal input for good carrot crop growth. The ability of (FYM + PM) to significantly influence growth and yield may be because it supplies nitrogen and phosphorous, as reported by [12] and because of its ability to improve the physio-chemical properties of soils [33] resulting in improved soil conditions and better nutrient availability. The increased total yield of carrots cultivated with different organic manures and mulches might be attributed to the increase in soil fertility, soil structure, temperature and moisture, which possibly accelerated cell division and elongation activities, producing more leaves and leading to increased carrot root yield [23]. The results of the present study revealed that poultry manure mixed with FYM influenced the increase in the root yield of carrots under mulch conditions within the crop growth period. Poultry manure in combination with farmyard manure under grass mulch increases the yield of carrots [50]. 3.4.7. Unmarketable yield (t ha -1 ) The main effect of organic manure had a significant (P ≤ 0.05) influence on the unmarketable yield of carrots (Appendix Table 3). The maximum unmarketable root yield (5.83 t ha -1 ) was recorded from the 20 t mixed manure treatment, while the minimum unmarketable root yield (2.60 t ha -1 ) was recorded from the control (Table 7). This difference might be caused by a range of factors, including attack by insects, diseases or nematodes; mechanical damage from deep and/or too close cultivation; physical obstructions; poor soil conditions; or excessively close plant density. 3.4.8. Root dry matter (%) The study showed that organic manure had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on the root dry matter content of carrots (Appendix Table 3). The maximum amount of root dry matter (14.59%) was recorded in the 20 t of mixed manure/ha treatment, while the minimum amount of root dry matter (13.65%) was obtained in the control treatment (Table 7). This might be because FYM + PM contributed to the improvement of the soil structure, particularly in terms of its water-holding capacity and drainage. They help to increase the soil’s ability to retain moisture, prevent waterlogging and reduce the risk of root rot. Additionally, FYM and poultry manure enhance soil aeration, promoting the development of a healthy root system and facilitating nutrient uptake by carrot plants. These results are supported by the findings of [7], who reported variations in macro and micronutrients among organic manures and industrial and municipal wastes and their effects on the growth and yield of crops. In line with the findings of [10] root dry matter percentages were greater in plants treated with higher doses of potassium along with mulching. 3.5. Quality Components To evaluate the quality of the carrots, the following parameters were measured: the percentage of forked roots, percentage of cracked roots and total soluble solids (Table 8). 3.5.1. Percentage of forked roots (%) The study showed that organic manure and mulching had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on the forked roots of carrots (Appendix Table 4). The percentage of forked roots was significantly influenced by the application of different concentrations of organic manure. The maximum percentage of forked roots (4.45%) was recorded in the control treatment, which was significantly different than that in the other organic manure treatments. On the other hand, the lowest percentage of forked roots (1.35%) was observed in the 20 t mixed manure/ha treatment (Table 8). Interestingly, the percentage of forked roots varied significantly between amendments, suggesting that nonbiotic factors may contribute to the development of this disorder. In the present study, plants that received manure presented lower percentages of branched roots than did the control plants. The high nitrogen content in the organic manure and organic mulch might have contributed to the low percentage of forked roots. These findings are in line with those of [34], [37] who reported that forking in carrots is promoted by factors such as poor soil structure (compacted heavy clay soil), the application of fresh manure, the application of excess nitrogen and improper irrigation management. In studying the influence of organic fertilizers on the yield and quality of carrots [9], reported that an increase in the organic fertilizer rate promoted the development of hairy and forked carrots, which contradicts the current findings. The percentage of forked roots also significantly varied due to the use of different mulching materials on the carrot plants. The highest percentage of forked roots (4.34%) was obtained in the M 0 treatment (no mulch). The lowest percentage of forked roots (1.35%) was obtained in the grass mulch treatment M 2 (grass). This result indicated that the decrease in the percentage of forking roots in the mulch treatments might be due to the effect of soil moisture combined with readily available nutrients. Organic manure application combined with mulch usually enhances soil physical, chemical, and biological activities and moisture, which could also explain the suppression of forked root production. 3.5.2. Percentage of cracked roots (%) The study showed that the main effect of organic manure had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on the percentage of cracked roots (%) of carrots (Appendix Table 4). The percentage of cracked roots was affected by organic manure. For amendments, the effect of the 20 t poultry manure treatment (3.73%) was greatest in both periods , followed by that of the 20 t mixed manure treatment , 20 t FYM treatment and control treatment, which were also significantly greater than those of all the other treatments (Table 8). The control treatment had the lowest percentage of cracked roots (1.35%) . The increasing trend of the cracking percentage of roots with increasing root size per plant might be due to the larger roots that occurred among the mulching and organic manure -treated plants. These plants supplied low amounts of nutrients, and moist plants produced thinner roots with minimum diameters, which might have contributed to their resistance to cracking. The mulched and amended roots had enough room to expand , reaching the limit of internal turgor pressure and resulting in cracking [54]. This finding aligns with the report of [70] that carrot splits when the cell walls rupture , forming longitudinal fractures in the phloem parenchyma as a result of internal turgor pressure. They stated that carrot susceptibility to cracking increases following maturity of the roots and that the timing of harvest is critical. This difference in growth pattern may influence susceptibility to cracking , as outer rows are often highly susceptible to cracking. This result for cracked roots was also supported by the findings of [53], who reported that the percentage of cracked roots increased due to low moisture and higher nitrogen levels. 3.5.3. Total soluble solids ( 0 Brix) The study showed that the main effect of organic manure had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on the TSS of carrots (Appendix Table 4). The highest total soluble solid concentration (10.56 °Brix) was obtained for the carrots planted in the plots that received the 20 t FYM ha -1 treatment, while the lowest TSS concentration (6.56 0 Brix) was obtained for the carrots in the control treatment. The TSS content significantly increased with different organic manures because the organic manures, particularly FYM, FYM + PM and PM, contain fair amounts of micronutrients, especially ferrous or iron. It is an essential constituent of many respiratory enzymes, such as catalase and cytochrome A, B and C, and is involved in the respiratory process of the cell system. Through respiration in the plant system, reserve food materials are converted to simple soluble components that can be utilized for growth or maintenance. These findings are in good accordance with the results of [51], [71]. Increased nitrogen through manures apparently helps in vigorous vegetative growth and favors photosynthetic activity for greater accumulation of food material, i.e., carbohydrates that increase the TSS content in carrots. These results are in close conformity with those of [72]. [47] In studying the nutritional quality of carrots as influenced by farmyard manure, observed that farmyard manure did not significantly improve the total soluble sugar content in carrots, which contradicts the current findings. In contrast, other researchers have reported that the total soluble solids (TSTs) in carrots [40] that received organic fertilizers were greater than those in those that received inorganic fertilizer. These findings are in line with those of [57], who revealed that mulching had no significant effect on TSS. [63] Confirmed that a higher content of total sugars in organic vegetables, including carrots, beets and potatoes, contributes to an increase in the technological and sensory quality (taste) of organic products. 3.6. Partial Budget Analysis The partial budget analysis of the 12 treatments is shown in Table 9. The results were analyzed using the technique described by [22] to assess the costs and benefits of the treatments. The greatest net benefit of 399,980 Birr ha -1 , with an MRR of 656%, was obtained from the treatment in which 20 t of mixed manure was combined with grass mulch/ha = (10 t PM + 10 t FYM with grass mulch) ha -1 . On the other hand, the lowest net benefit was obtained from the control treatment. The minimum acceptable marginal rate of return (MRR %) should be between 50 and 100% [22]. Therefore, the most attractive organic manure type for producers or farmers with higher net returns was 20 t FYM ha -1 with grass mulching, for which the MRR was 3803%. The results of the present study are in agreement with those of [36], who reported that economic analysis revealed that the highest marginal rate of return was obtained from carrot plants treated with 20 t FYM with grass mulch, followed by those treated with 20 t FYM with sawdust mulch, with values of 3803% and 3644%, respectively. Therefore, the best alternative net return, 20 t FYM with grass mulching, is recommended as the best economically rewarding treatment rate for the study area (Table 9). 4. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Carrot is one of the most important root crops cultivated throughout the country. The type and management of organic manure with mulching are important factors that strongly affect the growth and yield of carrot crops. The application of organic manure, such as poultry manure and farmyard manure, is necessary to improve the production and productivity of carrots in the study area. However, appropriate application practices that involve the combination of organic manure with mulching materials are lacking in the study area. Thus, a study was conducted to assess the effect of different types of organic manure with mulching on the growth, yield and quality of carrots and to assess the cost‒benefit of different organic manures with mulching materials for the production of carrots. A field experiment was conducted at Waraza Lasho Kebele in Diguna Fango District, Wolaita Zone of Southern Ethiopia, in 2023. The basic seeds of the carrot variety Nantes (orange) were used as the experimental material. The variety was imported from the Netherlands with certification by [ 29 ]. The treatment consisted of four organic manures (0.0, 20 t poultry manure, 20 t farmyard manure and 20 t mixed manure/ha = (10 t PM + 10 t FYM) ha − 1 ), and three levels of organic mulching (no, sawdust and grass mulching) were used for the experiment. The experiment was performed in accordance with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications in a factorial arrangement. The size of each plot was 1.6 m × 2 m (3.2 m 2 ), accommodating 5 single rows with 6 plants per row. The spacing between rows was 20 cm, the spacing between plants was 10 cm, and the spacings between blocks and between plots were 0.8 m and 0.5 m, respectively. All basic growth and yield data were collected and subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and partial budget analysis. The effect of organic manure and mulching levels on the performance of carrots suggested that organic manure and mulching materials significantly enhanced the growth and yield attributes of carrot production. The study revealed that the interaction between organic manure and mulching material significantly affected the root diameter, fresh weight, dry weight, marketable yield and total yield. In this study, the highest marketable root yield (27.90 t ha − 1 ) was achieved using the combination of 20 t of mixed manure with grass mulch (10 t PM + 10 t FYM with grass mulch), for which the yield increased by 656% compared to the lowest marketable yield (8.21 t ha − 1 ), which was obtained from the control. On the basis of the partial budget analysis, the greatest net benefit (360,520 Birr ha − 1 ), with an MRR of 3803%, was obtained from the treatment in which 20 t FYM was combined with grass mulch ha − 1 . According to [ 22 ] the minimum acceptable marginal rate of return (MRR %) should be between 50 and 100%. Therefore, the use of 20 t FYM with grass mulch ha − 1 application with greater net return could be suggested for carrot production in the study area. It may be concluded that 20 t of FYM ha − 1 can be used as organic manure and grass mulch material, and the combination of 20 t of FYM with grass mulch ha − 1 can be used to increase the growth and yield of carrots. However, this study was conducted in only one season at one location; therefore, the same research should be performed under different agro-climates and soil conditions to make a complete recommendation. Declarations Author Contribution The Author fully managed all data collected and analyzed. Acknowledgement I would like to express our special thanks to Minister of Education and Wolaita Sodo University for their academic and financial support. 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Journal of Agricultural Sciences . 2(5):102-107. Wafaa HM. 2013. Yield, quality and micronutrients uptake of carrot ( Daucus carota L.) and some soil properties as affected by organic fertilizers and elemental sulphur application. Egyptian Journal of Soil Science 53(4):537-554. Weakley R. G, Black J. C, and Welch R. M. 1934. Methods of soil analysis of total Organic Carbon. Physical and Chemical properties. Agronomy, 4 (2):455-544. Tables Tables 3 to 9 are available in the Supplementary Files section. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Tables3to9.docx APPENDIX.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4540262","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":313838560,"identity":"e5117368-9459-42f5-9c4e-bbfa2ea82ae8","order_by":0,"name":"Amanuel Kuma","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA50lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYNCCA0DM3v/xAZDi4SNeC88BYwMQxUa8FokEMwkQm6AW/mmHnz3mOXM4mr8hIa3ya46dDBsD88NHN/BokbidZm7Mc+Nw7owDB47dlt2WDHQYm7FxDj5rbieYSfN8OJzbcLCx7bbkNmagFh42aXxa5G+nfwNrmX+Yma1Ycls9YS0Gt3OAtgAdtuEYGxvjx22HCWsxvJ1TJjnnTHruxjM8zNKM247zsDET8Ivc7fRtEm+OWefOu/+G8ePPbdX2/OzNDx/j9T4yYOYBk8QqBwHGH6SoHgWjYBSMghEDAJVAS4kIoo/HAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Wolaita Sodo University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amanuel","middleName":"","lastName":"Kuma","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-06-06 12:12:49","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4540262/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4540262/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":58750543,"identity":"431cf541-39ea-42af-a009-a11b2f478776","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-20 15:55:32","extension":"jpeg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":171279,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eStudy Area Map\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4540262/v1/f90042a9d96f5a2fb1e77d10.jpeg"},{"id":58936297,"identity":"a182f085-4cad-41c6-a071-008b14c850a7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-24 10:08:18","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1091406,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4540262/v1/4a4c0b77-0b07-4c84-9bdb-c16a5b90d2e2.pdf"},{"id":58750542,"identity":"34c795a9-9c47-439c-98a8-e838eb805e13","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-20 15:55:32","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":28861,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Tables3to9.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4540262/v1/d5c2facc7777983570e42fb8.docx"},{"id":58750544,"identity":"c589173f-078b-42bd-8f32-e020828f947c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-20 15:55:32","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":1733613,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"APPENDIX.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4540262/v1/1e3de837633cc2b29c515810.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Eect of organic manures and mulching materials on growth, yield and quality of Carrot ","fulltext":[{"header":"1. INTRODUCTION","content":"\u003cp\u003eCarrot (\u003cem\u003eDaucus carota\u003c/em\u003e L.) is one of the most widely consumed, economically important, nutritious and delicious root vegetables and belongs to the Umbelliferea family [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. Domestic carrots originate from wild plants growing in Afghanistan [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e]. It has been reported that carrots with purple roots were domesticated in Afghanistan and spread to the Eastern Mediterranean area under Arab influence in the 10th to 12th centuries and to Western Europe in the 14th century [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. Carrots were first introduced to China by the 13th century, and their cultivation spread from the Middle East to Italy, Spain and throughout Europe in the fourteenth century [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e]. The exact timing of the introduction of carrots to Ethiopia is unknown, and the crop has been known since the early 1960s in the research system [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorldwide, production has approached 44,762,859 tons of carrot and turnips on 1,137,738 hectares on a yearly basis, with an average yield of 37 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. The development of cultivars adapted for cultivation in both the summer and winter seasons on all continents has allowed for the year-round availability of carrot products with relatively stable prices to consumers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e]. The top three carrot-producing countries in terms of production are China, Uzbekistan and the United States of America, with total productions of 21,482,971, 2,769,613 and 2,259,000 tons, respectively [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. The three main carrot-producing countries in Africa are Algeria, Morocco, and Kenya, with total production levels of 419,534, 412,219 and 329,025 tons, respectively [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. In Ethiopia, the total area under carrot production was approximately 4,135 ha, 16590.56 tons of which were produced in 2021, for an average yield of 6.5 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. This showed that the production of carrots in Ethiopia is significantly under the global average (37 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) (Eagri, 2022 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e] and FAO-Stat, 2022) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEthiopia has diverse agroclimatic conditions that provide favorable environments for carrot cultivation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. However, traditional agricultural practices in the country have heavily relied on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, leading to soil degradation, water pollution, and negative impacts on human health [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. Consequently, there is a pressing need to transition toward more sustainable and eco-friendly farming methods [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e66\u003c/span\u003e]. In recent years, several studies have explored the potential of organic farming as an alternative approach to improve agricultural sustainability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. Organic fertilizers, such as compost, manure and green manures, are considered essential components of organic agriculture because they enhance soil fertility, increase nutrient availability, promote beneficial soil microorganisms and enhance yield [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. Getachew \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2012) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e] demonstrated the positive effects of organic fertilizers on crop growth and yield in different regions of Ethiopia.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, specific research on organic carrot production in Diguna Fango District is limited, and there is a knowledge gap regarding the comparative performance of different organic manures on carrot crops in this region [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e68\u003c/span\u003e]. Understanding the effectiveness of various organic manure types with mulching on carrot growth under the specific agroclimatic conditions of Diguna Fango District is crucial for farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices and improve their livelihoods [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe primary research problem addressed in this study was the lack of comprehensive data on the performance of carrot cultivation using organic manure with mulching in Diguna Fango District. Consequently, farmers may be hesitant to shift from using inorganic fertilizer to using organic fertilizer due to uncertainty about its efficacy and economic viability. This study focused on data on carrot yield under organic manure with mulching; however, further studies that include information on the soil before and after the application of mulching, nutrient status before use, and weather conditions during the experiment are important, and a lack of such information is considered a limitation of the study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeveral studies have been conducted to determine the effects of organic manures on the growth and yield of carrots, but studies on the effect of organic mulching practices with organic nutrient supplementation on the growth and yield of carrots are rare. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of organic manure on the mulched and unmulched conditions of carrots.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eObjective of the study\u003c/b\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo investigate the growth, yield and quality response of carrots to different organic manures and mulching materials in the Diguna Fango District, southern Ethiopia.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. MATERIALS AND METHODS","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.1. Description of the Study Site\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe experiment was conducted at Waraza Lasho Kebele of Diguna Fango District, Wolaita, Ethiopia, during the 2023 main cropping season from February to May. The experimental site is located 431 km south of Addis Ababa at 6\u003csup\u003e0\u003c/sup\u003e59\u0026rsquo;0\u0026quot; N latitude and 37\u003csup\u003e0\u003c/sup\u003e59\u0026rsquo;0\u0026quot; E longitude with an elevation of 1800 m.a.s.l. The area receives annual rainfall of 1500 mm, and the average minimum and maximum temperatures are 16\u0026deg;C and 25\u0026deg;C, respectively (Diguna Fango Woreda Information Desk, 2016). The soil is sandy clay loam in texture and slightly acidic, with a pH of 6.1.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.2. Experimental Materials\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Nantes orange-colored carrot variety imported from the Netherlands and certified by the EIRA was used as the planting material. Poultry manure, farmyard manure and mixed poultry and farmyard manures were used as mineral sources. Grass and sawdust were used as mulching materials for the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.3. Experimental design and treatment combinations\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe treatments consisted of four levels of organic manure (0, 20 t PM, 20 t FYM, and 20 t mixed (10 t PM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 t FYM) ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and three mulching materials (no mulching, sawdust mulching and grass mulching), for a total of 12 treatment combinations (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The treatments were arranged in a 4\u0026times;3 factorial combination in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatment combinations\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatments\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTreatment Combination\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOrganic manures\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOM\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl x Sawdust mulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eControl x Grass mulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t PM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t PM with Sawdust mulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t PM with Grass mulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t FYM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t FYM with Sawdust mulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t FYM with Grass mulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t (10t FYM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10t PM)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t (10t FYM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10t PM) with Saw dust mulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20t (10t FYM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10t PM) with Grass mulching\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003eNote: OM\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Control, OM\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;20 t PM ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, OM\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;20 t FYM 20 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, OM\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;20 t Mixed manure (10 t FYM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 t PM) ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, M\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;no mulching, M\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;sawdust mulching and M\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;grass mulching.\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4. Soil Sampling and Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBefore sowing, soil samples were taken from the entire experimental field to a depth of 0\u0026ndash;30 cm by the zig-zag method using a soil augur. The samples were air-dried, ground, passed through a 2 mm sieve and thoroughly mixed to obtain one composite sample. The following parameters were determined in the Soil Laboratory of the Areka Agricultural Research Center. The soil samples were then analyzed for soil texture, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, available calcium, available magnesium, available sodium, available sulphur, available boron, soil pH and CEC. The pH of the soil was determined according to [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e] using a 1:2.5 (weight/volume) soil sample-to-water ratio and a glass electrode attached to a digital pH meter. The organic carbon content was determined by the volumetric method as described in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Guide for Laboratory Establishment for Plant Neutrophil Analysis [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Available phosphorus was determined according to [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e58\u003c/span\u003e] by the Olsen method using a spectrophotometer. Total nitrogen was determined using the Kjeldahl method as described by [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.5. Organic manure sampling and analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBefore incorporation into the soil, organic manure samples were taken. The samples were air-dried, ground, passed through a 2 mm sieve and thoroughly mixed to obtain one composite sample. The following parameters were determined in the Soil Laboratory of the Areka Agricultural Research Center. The pH, organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents of the manure samples were analyzed via a digital pH meter, the Walkley and Black Rapid titration method, Olsen\u0026rsquo;s method, and the flame photometer method, respectively [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.6. Experimental Procedures\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOrganic manures and mulching materials were prepared near the study area from December to February. By using the sealed pit method, FYM was prepared in the back yard of a model farmer who has a cattle farm in the study area through the anaerobic decomposition of farm wastes (dung, urine and litter) in underground pits by sealing the surface of the pit with dung slurry for three months, and poultry manure was purchased from egg and meat poultry entrepreneurs.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe plants in the experimental field were plowed with oxen to a fine tilth four times, and the blocks were leveled. According to the design, a field layout was established, and each treatment was assigned randomly to the experimental units within a block. A total of 48 experimental plots were laid out as indicated above, with 0.2 m\u0026times;0.1 m spacing between rows and plants. The spaces between the plot and the block were 0.5 m and 0.8 m, respectively. The total experimental area was 29.5 m in length and 8.8 m in width (259.6 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e). The seeds were sown at a depth of 1.5 cm within a plot with a length of 2 m, width of 1.6 m and plot area of 3.2 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e in rows according to the treatment. In the experimental plot with five rows, the seeds were sown on February 19th, 2023, to prepare holes. The organic manures were applied one month before the sowing date to allow for the requirement of substantial time for mineralization of manures and mulching applied after sowing. Two thinning was performed to maintain the optimum plant population. The first thinning was performed 30 days after sowing, and the second thinning was performed 10 days after the first thinning. Earthling of the plants was performed twice, at 30 and 60 DAS, to protect them from direct sunlight, which could cause undesirable green coloration. Cultural practices were applied uniformly to all the plots throughout the growing period. Continuous weeding by hand pulling was performed to ensure clean fields. Harvesting was performed on May 26th, 2023, when the leaves began to log down.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.7. Data collection and measurement\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.7.1. Growth Parameters\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant height (cm)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePlant height was measured using a meter ruler from the soil surface to the tip of the longest leaf of ten randomly selected plants growing in middle rows (net plot area) at 30, 60 and 90 DAS, and the mean values were computed.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of leaves per plant\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe number of leaves was counted for ten randomly selected plants grown in the net plot area at 30, 60 and 90 DAS, and the mean values per plant were computed.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLeaf length (cm)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLeaf length was measured using a meter ruler from the point of emergence to the tip of the leaf for ten randomly selected plants at 30, 60 and 90 DAS and is expressed as the mean value in centimeters (cm).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.7.2. Yield Parameters\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoot length (cm)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe length of the roots was measured using a meter ruler for ten randomly selected plants from the net plot at harvest from the base of the root to the top of the root, and the mean values were computed.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRoot diameter (cm)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe size of the roots was measured using a side caliper for ten randomly selected plants from the net plot area and divided by the number of sampled plants to obtain the mean values, which were subsequently computed.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFresh weight of the roots (g)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe roots of ten sample plants were uprooted and cut from the base of the petiole, and any loose soil was removed. The surface moisture was removed, and the plants were weighed immediately to a sensitive balance; the values are expressed in grams. The mean values were used for further analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDry weight of the roots (g)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTen randomly selected plant roots at harvest were removed and chopped into small pieces with the help of a stainless steel knife. The samples were placed on drying materials, kept in a laboratory room for three days, placed in paper bags and dried in an oven at 70\u0026deg;C for 48 hours. After drying, each sample was weighed using a digital sensitive balance, and the average was computed and recorded as the dry weight of the roots.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarketable root yield (t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRoots that were free from mechanical damage, disease and insect pest damage; uniform in color; and medium to large in size were considered marketable. The yield was determined as the weight of the healthy and saleable yield of ten sample plants from central rows, avoiding border effects, and by converting this yield to tons per hectare, the data were used for further analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUnmarketable root yield (t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRoots that were cracked, hairy, misshaped, decayed, discolored, diseased or physiologically disordered were considered unmarketable. The weights of the roots obtained from the net plot area of each plot were measured in kilograms using a scaled balance and are expressed in tons per hectare.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal yield (t ha\u003c/strong\u003e \u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e): Summations of the marketable and unmarketable root yields from the net plot area were recorded. The yield of every plot was weighed and divided by the number of plants to determine the yield per plant, and the yield t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e was estimated.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDry matter content (%)\u003c/strong\u003e: Dry matter content was measured by weighing randomly selected roots from the net plot and is expressed as a percentage.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg 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y1yJwNkgUH6w1uO4s6nGSTqaBHqSzZJOJQKHQ8Bnx5o1+4T3cOVcoqUk0Ets9axzIpAIHASBJNCDwJhGEoFE4BIRSAK9xFbPOicCicBBEEgCPQiMaSQRSAQuEYH/AYl6uNXBCfkRAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" width=\"448\" height=\"57\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.7.3. Quality Parameters\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForked root (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRoots that were misshaped at the tip, slightly shortened and multi-rooted with several divergent tap roots were considered forked roots. The number of forked roots per plot harvested from the net plot area was recorded for each treatment, and the percentage was calculated according to the formula given below.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" width=\"362\" height=\"62\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCracked root (%)\u003c/strong\u003e: Roots that were vertically cracked running along the length of the tap root, bent, twisted or splinted were considered cracked roots. The number of such roots per plot was recorded for each treatment, and the percentage was calculated according to the formula below.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" width=\"341\" height=\"61\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal soluble solids (TSS)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe total soluble solids of all the roots of five randomly selected plants from the net plot were chopped, and the total soluble solids (TSS) were tested in the Wolaita Sodo University Horticulture Department Laboratory by placing three drops of transparent juice on a prism refract meter. Before being utilized for subsequent readings, the refractometer prism was dried with tissue paper and cleaned with distilled water between samples. The refractometer was calibrated at 0.0\u003csup\u003e\u0026deg;\u003c/sup\u003eC using distilled water, readings were observed on a scale, and averages were expressed in \u0026deg;Brix.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.8. Partial Budget Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe partial budget analysis was considered using the methods described in [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e] with the mean marketable yield of each treatment, the gross benefit and the field price of inputs of organic manures, mulching materials and seeds of carrot.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGross average yield (t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) (AvY)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe average yield of each treatment\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdjusted yield (AjY)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIs the average yield adjusted downward by 10% to reflect the difference between the experimental yield and yield of farmers?\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGross field benefit (GFB)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eObtained by multiplying the field price that farmers receive for the crop when they sell it by the adjusted yield.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTotal variable costs (TVC) (ETB ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSummation of the total cost of organic manure, carrot seed, labor cost, weeding cost and application costs of organic fertilizers for the experiment.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNet benefit (NB)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe NB was calculated as the amount of money left when the total variable costs (TVC) were deducted from the gross field benefit (GFB).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe marginal rate of return (MRR %)\u003c/strong\u003e was calculated as the change in net benefit (NB) divided by the change in total variable cost (TVC) of the successive net benefit and total variable cost levels [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.9. Statistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe data were subjected to ANOVA using the statistical analysis software (SAS) version 9.3 (SAS, 2014). The least significant difference (LSD\u003csub\u003e0.05\u003c/sub\u003e) test was used for mean separation when the analyses of variance indicated the presence of a significant difference.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION","content":"\u003ch2\u003e3.1. Soil physicochemical properties at the experimental site\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTable 2.\u0026nbsp;Physicochemical characteristics of the experimental soil before planting\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"655\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"12.061068702290076%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoil properties\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"5.4961832061068705%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"7.32824427480916%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOC (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTN (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS (ppm)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"6.412213740458015%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTB (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCEC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMg\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNa\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"8.244274809160306%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eK\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"12.061068702290076%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eValues\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"5.4961832061068705%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"7.32824427480916%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"6.412213740458015%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.47\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"8.244274809160306%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.36\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"12.061068702290076%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRating\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"5.4961832061068705%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"7.32824427480916%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"6.412213740458015%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"10.076335877862595%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedium\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd width=\"8.244274809160306%\" valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLow\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e3.2. Physicochemical properties of the organic manures\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAreka Agricultural Research Center Soil Laboratory, 2023\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e3.3. Growth Components of Carrot\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.3.1. Plant height (cm) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnalysis\u0026nbsp;of variance revealed that the main\u0026nbsp;effects\u0026nbsp;of organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;and mulching\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;significant (P \u0026le; 0.05)\u0026nbsp;effects\u0026nbsp;on plant height at different growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS) (Appendix Table 1).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mean plant height varied in relation to the growth period, and\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;application of\u0026nbsp;20 t of\u0026nbsp;mixed manure\u0026nbsp;significantly increased the plant height. The\u0026nbsp;application of mixed manure\u0026nbsp;resulted in a significantly greater mean height at all growth phases (30, 60 and 90 DAS), except at 90 DAS, which was significantly greater than that at 20 t PM and 20 t mixed manure. At 30 DAS, the maximum (25.68 cm) mean plant height was recorded in the 20 t\u0026nbsp;mixed manure treatment,\u0026nbsp;while the minimum (19.30 cm) height was recorded in the control treatment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe\u0026nbsp;results\u0026nbsp;showed that the plants\u0026nbsp;treated with\u0026nbsp;organic manure\u0026nbsp;had taller plant heights than did the control plants. The increase in vegetative growth might be due to the role of nitrogen in promoting vegetative growth, enhancing cell division and elongation,\u0026nbsp;and enhancing\u0026nbsp;chlorophyll synthesis. Phosphorus\u0026nbsp;is easily mobilized in\u0026nbsp;plants and translocated\u0026nbsp;to the meristematic zone, increasing\u0026nbsp;leaf formation and development in\u0026nbsp;carrots,\u0026nbsp;and potassium activates many enzymes involved in respiration and photosynthesis. FYM and PM improved the physical, chemical and biological properties of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;soil,\u0026nbsp;which\u0026nbsp;promoted\u0026nbsp;better nutrient absorption and utilization by\u0026nbsp;plants,\u0026nbsp;resulting\u0026nbsp;in improved\u0026nbsp;plant growth.\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe\u0026nbsp;application of organic manure\u0026nbsp;likely\u0026nbsp;improved\u0026nbsp;the uptake\u0026nbsp;of nutrients by\u0026nbsp;plants\u0026nbsp;[62].\u0026nbsp;In line with the\u0026nbsp;results of the\u0026nbsp;present study\u0026nbsp;[15]\u0026nbsp;confirmed that organic manure application significantly\u0026nbsp;increased\u0026nbsp;plant height. This value decreased as\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;type of organic manure differed,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;ultimately, the\u0026nbsp;lowest\u0026nbsp;value\u0026nbsp;of this\u0026nbsp;growth\u0026nbsp;parameter\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;recorded\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;control treatment\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;carrots [61].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mean\u0026nbsp;height of\u0026nbsp;the plants in the mulching\u0026nbsp;treatments varied in relation to\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;growth period;\u0026nbsp;grass\u0026nbsp;mulching\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;the tallest (23.88 cm)\u0026nbsp;mean height,\u0026nbsp;while the no mulching treatment\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;the shortest (15.81 cm) mean height at 30 DAS.\u0026nbsp;The longest (39.76 cm) mean\u0026nbsp;plant height was recorded at\u0026nbsp;the peak\u0026nbsp;growth stage at 60 DAS\u0026nbsp;in the\u0026nbsp;grass mulch treatment,\u0026nbsp;while the shortest (28.11 cm) height was recorded in the\u0026nbsp;no mulching\u0026nbsp;treatment. The highest (59.58 cm) mean plant height at harvest was recorded\u0026nbsp;in response to\u0026nbsp;the application of grass\u0026nbsp;mulch,\u0026nbsp;while the shortest\u0026nbsp;height was\u0026nbsp;from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;control (46.66 cm),\u0026nbsp;which was\u0026nbsp;significantly\u0026nbsp;inferior to\u0026nbsp;that in response to\u0026nbsp;saw dust mulch but similar\u0026nbsp;to that in response to the other treatments\u0026nbsp;(Table\u0026nbsp;4).\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;increase in\u0026nbsp;plant height due to mulching might be\u0026nbsp;attributed to the\u0026nbsp;favorable soil moisture and temperature\u0026nbsp;conditions\u0026nbsp;needed\u0026nbsp;for proper plant growth.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.3.2. Number of Leaves per Plant\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnalysis\u0026nbsp;of variance revealed that the main\u0026nbsp;effects\u0026nbsp;of organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;and mulching\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;significant (P \u0026le; 0.05)\u0026nbsp;effects\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;number of leaves per plant at different growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS); however, mulching did not\u0026nbsp;have a\u0026nbsp;significant (P \u0026ge; 0.05) effect at 30 DAS (Appendix Table 1).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe application of\u0026nbsp;20 t of\u0026nbsp;mixed manure resulted\u0026nbsp;in a significantly greater\u0026nbsp;mean leaf numbers at all growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS),\u0026nbsp;except\u0026nbsp;for the results obtained\u0026nbsp;with the application of\u0026nbsp;20 t of\u0026nbsp;PM and\u0026nbsp;20 t of\u0026nbsp;FYM at 60 and 90 DAS. The maximum number of leaves per plant was recorded (17.31) from\u0026nbsp;the 20 t\u0026nbsp;mixed manure treatment at 90 DAS,\u0026nbsp;while the minimum number of leaves per plant\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;5.03 from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;control. This might be because mixed manure\u0026nbsp;enhances\u0026nbsp;soil fertility\u0026nbsp;by increasing\u0026nbsp;soil porosity, aeration, moisture holding capacity,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;available plant nutrients; by acting\u0026nbsp;as complex fertilizer granules;\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;by accelerating\u0026nbsp;nitrogen mineralization,\u0026nbsp;which in turn improves plant canopy growth.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe\u0026nbsp;highest\u0026nbsp;number of leaves per plant was recorded\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;grass mulch\u0026nbsp;treatment group\u0026nbsp;at 30, 60 and 90 DAS.\u0026nbsp;On\u0026nbsp;the other\u0026nbsp;hand, the lowest leaf number was recorded\u0026nbsp;in the treatment without mulch\u0026nbsp;at 30 DAS. The increased number of leaves with different\u0026nbsp;mulch types\u0026nbsp;might be attributed to the supply of moisture, which\u0026nbsp;possibly accelerated cell division and elongation, leading to the production of\u0026nbsp;more leaves,\u0026nbsp;leaf\u0026nbsp;development\u0026nbsp;and an\u0026nbsp;increased number of leaves. As\u0026nbsp;[45]\u0026nbsp;reported that grass mulch treatment was\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;best among the various mulch treatments and recorded\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;maximum (16.82) number of leaves per plant of carrot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.3.3. Leaf\u0026nbsp;length (cm)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnalysis\u0026nbsp;of variance revealed that the main\u0026nbsp;effects\u0026nbsp;of organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;and mulching\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;significant (P \u0026le; 0.05)\u0026nbsp;effects\u0026nbsp;on leaf length at different growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS); however, mulching did not\u0026nbsp;have a\u0026nbsp;significant (P \u0026ge; 0.05) effect at 30 DAS. (Appendix Table 1).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mean leaf length varied in relation to the growth period, and the application of organic manure significantly increased the leaf length. The application of 20 t of mixed manure significantly improved the mean leaf length at all growth stages (30, 60 and 90 DAS), but the values were significantly similar to those obtained with the application of 20 t of poultry manure at 60 and 90 DAS. The maximum leaf length (58.15 cm) was recorded for the 20 t mixed manure treatment at 90 DAS, while the minimum leaf length per plant was 12.46 cm for the control treatment at 30 DAS (Table 4).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis might be\u0026nbsp;because\u0026nbsp;FYM + PM enhanced the nutrient content of the soil, providing a balanced supply of essential elements required for carrot plants to thrive. These manures contain a wide range of macronutrients, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), as well as micronutrients\u0026nbsp;such as\u0026nbsp;calcium, magnesium, and iron. The gradual release of nutrients from organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;ensures a sustained and steady supply, preventing nutrient deficiencies and promoting optimum plant growth.\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThese findings are in\u0026nbsp;agreement with the\u0026nbsp;results\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;[65] who\u0026nbsp;reported that\u0026nbsp;the leaf length of\u0026nbsp;carrots\u0026nbsp;varied with different types of manure application.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeaf length differed significantly due to the different mulch applications. The greatest leaf length was recorded in the grass mulch treatment (42.67 cm) at 90 DAS, while the lowest leaf length was recorded in the control treatment (9.17 cm) at 30 DAS. The use of mulching in crops not only increases growth but also plays a vital role in soil moisture conservation by creating a physical barrier between the soil and the environment. Moreover, these methods are helpful for weed control, water and soil conservation and for boosting the production and quality of crops. This result is in accordance with the findings of [12].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e3.4. Yield and\u0026nbsp;yield-related components\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.4.1. Root length (cm) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe analysis of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;data revealed that the main effects of organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;and mulching\u0026nbsp;on root length\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;significant\u0026nbsp;(P \u0026le; 0.05) (Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;2).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe longest root length (22.45 cm) was recorded\u0026nbsp;in the 20 t\u0026nbsp;mixed manure treatment,\u0026nbsp;while the shortest root length (13.16 cm) was recorded\u0026nbsp;in the\u0026nbsp;control treatment (Table 5).\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;length of carrot\u0026nbsp;roots\u0026nbsp;depends on the physical characteristics of the soil. The highest root length in OM\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e might be due to the positive effects of FYM and PM on the physical characteristics of the soil.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese findings are consistent\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;those of\u0026nbsp;[4],\u0026nbsp;who\u0026nbsp;reported that\u0026nbsp;the maximum root length (21.0 cm) from half PM + half FYM varied with\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;type of manure\u0026nbsp;applied\u0026nbsp;(FYM, PM\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;leaf manure).\u0026nbsp;These findings agree with those of\u0026nbsp;[55],\u0026nbsp;who reported that organic manure (PM and FYM) improves the soil structure and maintains uniform soil moisture and nutrient\u0026nbsp;levels,\u0026nbsp;which allows carrots to extend their root length to deeper soil\u0026nbsp;layers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoot length differed significantly due to the different mulch\u0026nbsp;applications. The maximum\u0026nbsp;root length (21.15 cm) was recorded\u0026nbsp;in the\u0026nbsp;M\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003e(grass) mulch treatment, which was significantly different from that in the other treatments. The minimum root length (13.16 cm) was found in no mulch applied treatment (Table 5).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA favorable\u0026nbsp;soil-water-plant\u0026nbsp;relationship\u0026nbsp;is created by placing mulch over the soil surface. The microclimate surrounding\u0026nbsp;plants\u0026nbsp;and soil is significantly affected by mulch,\u0026nbsp;i.e.,\u0026nbsp;the thermodynamic environment, moisture, erosion, physical soil structure, incidence of pests and diseases, crop growth and yield.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[8] Revealed that different types of organic mulch generated higher soil temperature and soil moisture under mulch than did the control. The results obtained in this study clearly indicated that carrots responded well to organic manures and organic mulching materials.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e3.4.2. Root\u0026nbsp;diameter (cm)\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe analysis of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;data revealed that the interaction effect (P \u0026le;0.05) on\u0026nbsp;root diameter\u0026nbsp;was significant\u0026nbsp;(Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;2).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe maximum diameter of\u0026nbsp;the roots (6.60 cm) was recorded from\u0026nbsp;the 20 t of\u0026nbsp;mixed manure with\u0026nbsp;sawdust\u0026nbsp;mulch\u0026nbsp;applied\u0026nbsp;ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e, which\u0026nbsp;was significantly different than\u0026nbsp;that of the\u0026nbsp;other organic manure treatments. On the other hand, the minimum root diameter (2.47 cm) was observed\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the treatment in which\u0026nbsp;no organic manure\u0026nbsp;was applied\u0026nbsp;with grass\u0026nbsp;mulch. In\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;present study,\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;difference in root size might be due to increased microbial\u0026nbsp;activity\u0026nbsp;in the root zone because of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;adequate moisture\u0026nbsp;availability\u0026nbsp;and optimum temperature\u0026nbsp;combined\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;stabilized soil pH, which decomposed organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;and fixed unavailable\u0026nbsp;forms\u0026nbsp;of mineral nutrients into available forms in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;soil,\u0026nbsp;thereby\u0026nbsp;substantiating\u0026nbsp;crop requirements, improving the\u0026nbsp;organic carbon level and\u0026nbsp;stabilizing\u0026nbsp;soil\u0026nbsp;reactions.\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThese findings are also in accordance\u0026nbsp;with those of [56] who reported\u0026nbsp;that different combinations of organic manures significantly\u0026nbsp;affect the\u0026nbsp;diameter and size of carrot\u0026nbsp;roots.\u0026nbsp;The minimum size of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;carrot roots was\u0026nbsp;observed\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;control\u0026nbsp;treatment compared with all the\u0026nbsp;other treatments.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOrganic manure and mulching have been shown to\u0026nbsp;supply\u0026nbsp;the required plant\u0026nbsp;nutrients, improve soil structure and water holding capacity, increase microbial activity,\u0026nbsp;reduce\u0026nbsp;evaporation,\u0026nbsp;improve\u0026nbsp;soil moisture and\u0026nbsp;simultaneously\u0026nbsp;promote plant growth and productivity\u0026nbsp;[46]. In general, the\u0026nbsp;combination of\u0026nbsp;PM and FYM with\u0026nbsp;sawdust\u0026nbsp;mulch produced significantly\u0026nbsp;greater\u0026nbsp;growth and yield\u0026nbsp;characteristics in crops\u0026nbsp;during\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;whole growing season. The\u0026nbsp;increase in\u0026nbsp;root diameter due to organic manure with mulching might be\u0026nbsp;attributed to\u0026nbsp;favorable soil fertility, favorable soil moisture and favorable soil temperature\u0026nbsp;conditions\u0026nbsp;for proper plant growth\u0026nbsp;[25]. This result is in accordance with the findings of [60].\u0026nbsp;The application of 20 t of\u0026nbsp;mixed (PM with FYM) manure improved vegetative growth and increased root diameter and size in carrot\u0026nbsp;plants,\u0026nbsp;as reported by\u0026nbsp;[16]\u0026nbsp;which was in agreement with our findings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.4.3. Root fresh weight (g)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe analysis of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;data revealed that the interaction\u0026nbsp;had a\u0026nbsp;significant effect (P \u0026le; 0.05) on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;fresh weight of\u0026nbsp;the roots of the\u0026nbsp;carrot\u0026nbsp;plants\u0026nbsp;(g) (Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;2).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe maximum fresh weight per plant (179.25 g) was observed\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;treatment\u0026nbsp;in which 20 t of\u0026nbsp;mixed manure\u0026nbsp;was combined\u0026nbsp;with grass mulch ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e. The minimum root weight per plant (44.32 g) was recorded for the control plot (Table 6). The increased fresh weight of from plants cultivated with different manures combined with mulch might be attributed to the supply of mineral nutrients by organic manures and moisture supplied by organic mulch, which possibly accelerated cell division and elongation activities, thereby increasing the weight and their development, leading to increased fresh weight.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe difference in root weight due to\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;application of different manures implies that manures\u0026nbsp;differ\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;terms of nutrient content\u0026nbsp;and in their efficiency\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;enhancing root weight.\u0026nbsp;A\u0026nbsp;greater\u0026nbsp;nutrient\u0026nbsp;content\u0026nbsp;in manure\u0026nbsp;resulted\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;greater root weight. Among\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;different manures, mixed manure\u0026nbsp;was the most effective, followed by poultry and\u0026nbsp;farmyard\u0026nbsp;manure.\u0026nbsp;[47]\u0026nbsp;Reported\u0026nbsp;that\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003eapplication of\u0026nbsp;20 t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e organic manure (PM, FYM and chicken manure) increased the yield of carrots (10%-20%). These results are consistent with the findings of [2], who reported that animal waste generated with mulching materials contains considerable amounts of plant nutrients.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.4.4. Root dry weight (g) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe interaction effect of organic manure and mulching application significantly (P \u0026le; 0.05) influenced the root dry weight of the carrot\u0026nbsp;plants\u0026nbsp;(Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;2).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe maximum root dry weight (26.16 g) was observed\u0026nbsp;in the 20 t of\u0026nbsp;mixed manure with grass mulch/ha treatment. The minimum dry weight per plant (5.82 g) was recorded\u0026nbsp;for the\u0026nbsp;control treatment (Table 6).\u0026nbsp;This\u0026nbsp;result can be attributed to\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;slow release of nutrients from organic manures and their better utilization by\u0026nbsp;carrots\u0026nbsp;throughout the growing period,\u0026nbsp;which might have resulted in\u0026nbsp;a greater\u0026nbsp;dry weight of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;carrot\u0026nbsp;roots. The\u0026nbsp;increase in\u0026nbsp;dry weight per plant\u0026nbsp;in response to\u0026nbsp;the application of PM + FYM may be attributed to\u0026nbsp;the greater\u0026nbsp;nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium\u0026nbsp;availability in these plants than in those receiving\u0026nbsp;other bulky organic manures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn line with the present study, [57] reported that the use of different organic manures (poultry, farmyard manure and cow dung) with mulch (grass, sugarcane straw and leaf mulch) on carrots resulted in significantly different root dry weights.\u0026nbsp;These results are supported by the\u0026nbsp;findings\u0026nbsp;of)\u0026nbsp;[58], who reported\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;dry weight of\u0026nbsp;roots\u0026nbsp;was influenced by organics and mulching compared to\u0026nbsp;those of the\u0026nbsp;control\u0026nbsp;group; however,\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;contrast\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;the findings of [52], who reported\u0026nbsp;that under high nitrogen application,\u0026nbsp;the plant grew well but had\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;low yield because vegetative growth was favored over root growth.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.4.5. Marketable\u0026nbsp;yield\u0026nbsp;(t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe analysis of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;data revealed that the interaction had\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;significant (p \u0026le; 0.05) effect on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;marketable root yield of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;carrot\u0026nbsp;plants\u0026nbsp;(Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;3).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe maximum\u0026nbsp;marketable\u0026nbsp;root yield (27.90\u0026nbsp;t\u0026nbsp;ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) was obtained from the treatment\u0026nbsp;in which 20 t of\u0026nbsp;mixed manure\u0026nbsp;was combined\u0026nbsp;with grass mulch ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e,\u0026nbsp;which was significantly different from\u0026nbsp;that of\u0026nbsp;the other treatments;\u0026nbsp;in contrast,\u0026nbsp;the minimum marketable yield (8.21\u0026nbsp;t\u0026nbsp;ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) was recorded from the control treatment (Table 6). This difference might be due to the steady and readily available nutrients to the crops being present in greater quantities than during the slow release of organic manure. In the case of manures, substantial time is required for the plant to release available nutrients. The sole application of manures through FYM and/or PM or their combination had a lower yield than the combination of manures with mulching. The improvement in yield attributed to FYM + PM with grass mulch might be due to improved soil moisture holding capacity, soil moisture, and soil temperature; adequate availability of major nutrients and micronutrients due to favorable soil conditions; and an increase in the rate of photosynthesis, which further increases vegetative growth and yield by providing additional sites for the translocation of photosynthesis. These results are in accordance with the findings of [51], [61], [52].\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;[58] Reported similar findings that higher yields of roots in carrots were obtained when 15 t FYM ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e and 15 t PM ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e were used. This could be because nitrogen is the major constituent of chlorophyll, proteins and amino acids, the synthesis of which is accelerated by the increased supply of nitrogen in soil [9]. An analogous yield increase due to the amendments of poultry and FYM manure application was also reported in previous studies [66], which mentioned a significant yield increase in carrot plants following the application of manures in addition to grass mulching.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.4.6. Total root yield (t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe analysis of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;data revealed that the interaction\u0026nbsp;had a\u0026nbsp;significant (P \u0026le; 0.05) effect on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;total root yield (Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;3).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe\u0026nbsp;maximum\u0026nbsp;total root yield (33.92\u0026nbsp;t\u0026nbsp;ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) was obtained from the treatment\u0026nbsp;in which 20 t of\u0026nbsp;mixed manure\u0026nbsp;was combined\u0026nbsp;with grass mulch ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e, which was significantly different from\u0026nbsp;that of\u0026nbsp;the other treatments,\u0026nbsp;whereas the minimum yield (10.56\u0026nbsp;t\u0026nbsp;ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) was recorded from the control treatment (Table 6). The yield of mixed poultry and farmyard manure combined with grass mulching surpassed that of all the other treatments by enhancing the root yield, followed by poultry manure.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis\u0026nbsp;difference\u0026nbsp;might be due to\u0026nbsp;the greater quantity of\u0026nbsp;nutrients\u0026nbsp;being steadily available than they were from\u0026nbsp;other organic sources.\u0026nbsp;The addition\u0026nbsp;of organic manure\u0026nbsp;by mulching\u0026nbsp;improved the\u0026nbsp;soil structure, increased\u0026nbsp;its water holding capacity and\u0026nbsp;facilitated\u0026nbsp;aeration in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;soil.\u0026nbsp;Sugarcane\u0026nbsp;also helps in the gradual release of nutrients into the soil, which makes it an ideal input for good carrot crop growth. The ability of (FYM + PM)\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;significantly influence growth and yield may be\u0026nbsp;because\u0026nbsp;it supplies nitrogen and phosphorous,\u0026nbsp;as reported by\u0026nbsp;[12]\u0026nbsp;and because of its ability to improve the physio-chemical properties of soils [33] resulting in improved soil conditions and better nutrient availability.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe increased total yield of carrots cultivated with different organic manures and mulches might be attributed to the increase in soil fertility, soil structure, temperature and moisture, which possibly accelerated cell division and elongation activities, producing more leaves and leading to increased carrot root yield [23]. The results of the present study revealed that poultry manure mixed with FYM influenced the increase in the root yield of carrots under mulch conditions within the crop growth period. Poultry manure in combination with farmyard manure under grass mulch increases the yield of carrots [50]. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.4.7.\u0026nbsp;Unmarketable yield (t ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe main effect of organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;a significant\u0026nbsp;(P \u0026le; 0.05)\u0026nbsp;influence on the unmarketable\u0026nbsp;yield of\u0026nbsp;carrots\u0026nbsp;(Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;3).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe\u0026nbsp;maximum unmarketable\u0026nbsp;root yield (5.83\u0026nbsp;t\u0026nbsp;ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) was recorded from\u0026nbsp;the 20 t\u0026nbsp;mixed manure treatment,\u0026nbsp;while the minimum\u0026nbsp;unmarketable\u0026nbsp;root yield (2.60\u0026nbsp;t\u0026nbsp;ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) was recorded from\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;control (Table 7). This\u0026nbsp;difference\u0026nbsp;might be caused by a range of\u0026nbsp;factors, including attack by insects, diseases or nematodes;\u0026nbsp;mechanical damage from deep and/or too close cultivation;\u0026nbsp;physical obstructions;\u0026nbsp;poor soil conditions;\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;excessively close plant density.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.4.8. Root dry matter (%) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study showed that organic manure had a significant (p \u0026le; 0.05) effect on the root dry matter content of carrots (Appendix Table 3). \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe maximum amount of root dry matter (14.59%) was recorded in the 20 t of mixed manure/ha treatment, while the minimum amount of root dry matter (13.65%) was obtained in the control treatment (Table 7). This might be because FYM + PM contributed to the improvement of the soil structure, particularly in terms of its water-holding capacity and drainage. They help to increase the soil\u0026rsquo;s ability to retain moisture, prevent waterlogging and reduce the risk of root rot.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, FYM and poultry manure enhance soil aeration, promoting the development of a healthy root system and facilitating nutrient uptake by carrot plants. These results are supported by the findings of [7], who reported variations in macro and micronutrients among organic manures and industrial and municipal wastes and their effects on the growth and yield of crops. In line with the findings of [10] root dry matter percentages were greater in plants treated with higher doses of potassium along with mulching. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e3.5. Quality Components \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo evaluate the quality of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;carrots,\u0026nbsp;the following parameters were measured:\u0026nbsp;the percentage of forked roots,\u0026nbsp;percentage of cracked roots\u0026nbsp;and total soluble solids (Table 8).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.5.1. Percentage of forked roots (%) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study showed that organic manure and mulching had a significant (p \u0026le; 0.05) effect on the forked roots of carrots (Appendix Table 4). \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe percentage of forked roots was significantly influenced by the application of different concentrations of organic manure. The maximum percentage of forked roots (4.45%) was recorded in the control treatment, which was significantly different than that in the other organic manure treatments. On the other hand, the lowest percentage of forked roots (1.35%) was observed in the 20 t mixed manure/ha treatment (Table 8). Interestingly, the percentage of forked roots varied significantly between amendments, suggesting that nonbiotic factors may contribute to the development of this disorder. In the present study, plants that received manure presented lower percentages of branched roots than did the control plants.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe high nitrogen content in the organic manure and organic\u0026nbsp;mulch\u0026nbsp;might have contributed to the low percentage of forked roots.\u0026nbsp;These findings are in line with those of\u0026nbsp;[34], [37]\u0026nbsp;who reported that forking in carrots is promoted by factors such as poor soil structure (compacted heavy clay soil),\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;application of fresh manure,\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;application of excess nitrogen and improper irrigation management.\u0026nbsp;In\u0026nbsp;studying the influence of organic fertilizers on the yield and quality of\u0026nbsp;carrots\u0026nbsp;[9], reported\u0026nbsp;that an increase in the organic fertilizer rate promoted the development of hairy and forked\u0026nbsp;carrots, which\u0026nbsp;contradicts\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;current findings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe percentage of forked\u0026nbsp;roots\u0026nbsp;also significantly varied due to the use of different mulching materials\u0026nbsp;on the\u0026nbsp;carrot\u0026nbsp;plants. The highest percentage\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;forked\u0026nbsp;roots\u0026nbsp;(4.34%) was obtained\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the M\u003csub\u003e0\u003c/sub\u003e treatment (no mulch). The lowest percentage of forked roots (1.35%) was obtained in the grass mulch treatment M\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003e(grass). This result indicated that the\u0026nbsp;decrease in the\u0026nbsp;percentage of\u0026nbsp;forking roots in the\u0026nbsp;mulch treatments might be\u0026nbsp;due to\u0026nbsp;the effect of soil moisture\u0026nbsp;combined\u0026nbsp;with readily available nutrients.\u0026nbsp;Organic\u0026nbsp;manure application\u0026nbsp;combined\u0026nbsp;with mulch usually\u0026nbsp;enhances\u0026nbsp;soil physical, chemical,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;biological activities and moisture, which\u0026nbsp;could\u0026nbsp;also explain\u0026nbsp;the suppression of\u0026nbsp;forked root production.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.5.2. Percentage of cracked roots (%)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study showed that the main effect of organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;significant (p \u0026le; 0.05) effect on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;percentage of cracked roots (%) of\u0026nbsp;carrots\u0026nbsp;(Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;4).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe percentage\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eof\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ecracked roots was affected by organic manure. For amendments, the\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eeffect of the 20\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003et\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003epoultry manure treatment\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e(3.73%)\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;was greatest in both periods\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e,\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;followed by\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethat of\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e20\u0026nbsp;t\u0026nbsp;mixed manure treatment\u003cem\u003e,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e20\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003et\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eFYM\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003etreatment\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eand control treatment, which\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ewere\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;also significantly\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003egreater\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;than\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethose of\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eall\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eother treatments (Table 8). The control treatment had\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;lowest percentage\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eof\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ecracked roots\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e(1.35%)\u003cem\u003e. The increasing trend of\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ecracking percentage of\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eroots\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;with increasing root\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003esize\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eper plant might be due to\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003elarger roots\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;that occurred among\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003emulching and organic manure\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e-treated\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;plants.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eThese\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;plants supplied low\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eamounts of nutrients, and moist\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;plants produced thinner roots\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ewith\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;minimum\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ediameters, which\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;might have contributed to\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003etheir resistance to\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;cracking. The mulched and\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eamended\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;roots had enough room to expand\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e,\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;reaching the limit of internal turgor pressure\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eand\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eresulting in cracking [54].\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003efinding aligns\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;with the report of [70] that carrot\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003esplits\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;when the cell walls\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003erupture\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e, forming longitudinal fractures in the phloem parenchyma as a result of internal turgor pressure. They stated that carrot susceptibility to cracking\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eincreases\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;following maturity of the roots and\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ethat the\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003etiming of harvest is critical. This difference in growth pattern may influence susceptibility to cracking\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e,\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eas\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;outer rows\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eare\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eoften highly susceptible to cracking.\u003c/em\u003e This result for cracked roots was also supported by the findings of [53], who reported that the percentage of cracked roots increased due to low moisture and higher nitrogen levels.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e3.5.3. Total\u0026nbsp;soluble solids (\u003csup\u003e0\u003c/sup\u003eBrix) \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study showed that the main effect of organic\u0026nbsp;manure\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;significant (p \u0026le; 0.05) effect on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;TSS of\u0026nbsp;carrots\u0026nbsp;(Appendix\u0026nbsp;Table\u0026nbsp;4).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe highest\u0026nbsp;total soluble\u0026nbsp;solid\u0026nbsp;concentration\u0026nbsp;(10.56\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026deg;Brix) was obtained\u0026nbsp;for the\u0026nbsp;carrots planted\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;plots that received\u0026nbsp;the 20 t\u0026nbsp;FYM ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e treatment, while the lowest TSS concentration (6.56 \u003csup\u003e0\u003c/sup\u003eBrix) was obtained\u0026nbsp;for the\u0026nbsp;carrots\u0026nbsp;in the\u0026nbsp;control\u0026nbsp;treatment.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;TSS content\u0026nbsp;significantly increased\u0026nbsp;with different organic manures because the organic manures,\u0026nbsp;particularly FYM, FYM + PM and PM,\u0026nbsp;contain fair\u0026nbsp;amounts\u0026nbsp;of micronutrients,\u0026nbsp;especially ferrous or iron. It is an essential constituent of many respiratory enzymes, such as\u0026nbsp;catalase\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;cytochrome A, B and C,\u0026nbsp;and is\u0026nbsp;involved in the respiratory process of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;cell system. Through respiration in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;plant system,\u0026nbsp;reserve food materials\u0026nbsp;are\u0026nbsp;converted to simple soluble components that\u0026nbsp;can\u0026nbsp;be utilized for growth or maintenance.\u0026nbsp;These\u0026nbsp;findings\u0026nbsp;are in\u0026nbsp;good accordance with the results of [51], [71].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIncreased nitrogen through manures apparently helps in vigorous vegetative growth and favors photosynthetic activity for greater accumulation of food material, i.e., carbohydrates that increase the TSS content in carrots. These results are in close conformity with those of [72]. [47] In studying the nutritional quality of carrots as influenced by farmyard manure, observed that farmyard manure did not significantly improve the total soluble sugar content in carrots, which contradicts the current findings. In contrast, other researchers have reported that the total soluble solids (TSTs) in carrots [40] that received organic fertilizers were greater than those in those that received inorganic fertilizer. These findings are in line with those of [57], who revealed that mulching had no significant effect on TSS. [63] Confirmed that a higher content of total sugars in organic vegetables, including carrots, beets and potatoes, contributes to an increase in the technological and sensory quality (taste) of organic products. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e3.6. Partial Budget Analysis \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe partial budget analysis of the 12 treatments is shown in Table 9.\u0026nbsp;The results were analyzed\u0026nbsp;using the technique described by [22] to assess the costs and benefits of the treatments.\u0026nbsp;The greatest\u0026nbsp;net benefit of 399,980 Birr ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003csup\u003e,\u003c/sup\u003e with an MRR of 656%, was obtained from the treatment in which 20 t of mixed manure was combined with grass mulch/ha = (10 t PM + 10 t FYM with grass mulch) ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e. On the other hand,\u0026nbsp;the lowest net benefit was obtained from the control treatment. The minimum acceptable marginal rate of return (MRR %) should be between 50 and 100% [22]. Therefore, the most attractive organic manure type for producers or farmers with higher net\u0026nbsp;returns\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;20\u0026nbsp;t\u0026nbsp;FYM ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e with grass mulching, for which the MRR was 3803%.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results of the present study are in agreement with those of [36], who reported that economic analysis revealed that the highest marginal rate of return was obtained from carrot plants treated with 20 t FYM with grass mulch, followed by those treated with 20 t FYM with sawdust mulch, with values of 3803% and 3644%, respectively.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, the best alternative net return, 20 t FYM with grass mulching, is recommended as the best economically rewarding treatment rate for the study area (Table 9).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION","content":"\u003cp\u003eCarrot is one of the most important root crops cultivated throughout the country. The type and management of organic manure with mulching are important factors that strongly affect the growth and yield of carrot crops. The application of organic manure, such as poultry manure and farmyard manure, is necessary to improve the production and productivity of carrots in the study area.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, appropriate application practices that involve the combination of organic manure with mulching materials are lacking in the study area. Thus, a study was conducted to assess the effect of different types of organic manure with mulching on the growth, yield and quality of carrots and to assess the cost‒benefit of different organic manures with mulching materials for the production of carrots.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA field experiment was conducted at Waraza Lasho Kebele in Diguna Fango District, Wolaita Zone of Southern Ethiopia, in 2023. The basic seeds of the carrot variety Nantes (orange) were used as the experimental material. The variety was imported from the Netherlands with certification by [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. The treatment consisted of four organic manures (0.0, 20 t poultry manure, 20 t farmyard manure and 20 t mixed manure/ha = (10 t PM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 t FYM) ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e), and three levels of organic mulching (no, sawdust and grass mulching) were used for the experiment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe experiment was performed in accordance with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications in a factorial arrangement. The size of each plot was 1.6 m \u0026times; 2 m (3.2 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e), accommodating 5 single rows with 6 plants per row. The spacing between rows was 20 cm, the spacing between plants was 10 cm, and the spacings between blocks and between plots were 0.8 m and 0.5 m, respectively. All basic growth and yield data were collected and subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and partial budget analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe effect of organic manure and mulching levels on the performance of carrots suggested that organic manure and mulching materials significantly enhanced the growth and yield attributes of carrot production. The study revealed that the interaction between organic manure and mulching material significantly affected the root diameter, fresh weight, dry weight, marketable yield and total yield. In this study, the highest marketable root yield (27.90 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) was achieved using the combination of 20 t of mixed manure with grass mulch (10 t PM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 t FYM with grass mulch), for which the yield increased by 656% compared to the lowest marketable yield (8.21 t ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e), which was obtained from the control.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn the basis of the partial budget analysis, the greatest net benefit (360,520 Birr ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e), with an MRR of 3803%, was obtained from the treatment in which 20 t FYM was combined with grass mulch ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. According to [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e] the minimum acceptable marginal rate of return (MRR %) should be between 50 and 100%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, the use of 20 t FYM with grass mulch ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e application with greater net return could be suggested for carrot production in the study area. It may be concluded that 20 t of FYM ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e can be used as organic manure and grass mulch material, and the combination of 20 t of FYM with grass mulch ha\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e can be used to increase the growth and yield of carrots. However, this study was conducted in only one season at one location; therefore, the same research should be performed under different agro-climates and soil conditions to make a complete recommendation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Author fully managed all data collected and analyzed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eI would like to express our special thanks to Minister of Education and Wolaita Sodo University for their academic and financial support.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe author declares that, the data that used and/or analyzed during this study will be available from corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbdirshikur Reshid and Zekiya Fitret. 2020. 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Nutritional quality of carrot (\u003cem\u003eDaucus\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003ecarota\u003c/em\u003e L.) as influenced by farm yard manure. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Agricultural Sciences\u003c/em\u003e. 2(5):102-107.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWafaa HM. 2013. Yield, quality and micronutrients uptake of carrot (\u003cem\u003eDaucus\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003ecarota\u003c/em\u003e L.) and some soil properties as affected by organic fertilizers and elemental sulphur application. Egyptian Journal of Soil Science 53(4):537-554.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeakley R. G, Black J. C, and Welch R. M. 1934. Methods of soil analysis of total Organic Carbon. Physical and Chemical properties. Agronomy, 4 (2):455-544.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cp\u003eTables 3 to 9 are available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Cracking, Forking and Sawdust","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4540262/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4540262/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eCarrot is a root vegetable crop. The management of agronomic practices is an important factor that strongly affects the growth, yield and quality of carrots. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different types of organic manure and mulching materials on the growth, yield and quality of carrots in Diguna Fango District, southern Ethiopia. The study consisted of four organic manures (control, 20 t PM ha\u003c/em\u003e \u003csup\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/sup\u003e, \u003cem\u003e20 t FYM ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003eand 20 t mixed manure (10 t PM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 t FYM) ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003eand three types of mulching (no mulching, sawdust mulching and grass mulching) laid in the RCBD, with four replications in a factorial arrangement. Analysis was performed using the SAS software package. Root diameter, fresh weight, dry weight, yield and total yield were significantly (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05) affected by the interaction effect of organic manure and mulching materials. Among the different combinations, 20 t of mixed manure (10 t PM\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;10 t FYM) with grass mulch ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e \u003cem\u003esurpassed all the other combinations in terms of maximum root length (22.45 cm), root diameter (6.60 cm), fresh weight (179.25 g), dry weight (26.16 g), marketable root yield (27.90 t ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e) and total root yield (33.92 t ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e) during the experimental year. Similarly, PM with grass mulching also produced better results pertaining to carrot growth and yield. Based on these results, the greatest net benefit (360,520 Birr ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e) with an MRR of\u003c/em\u003e 3803% \u003cem\u003ewas obtained from the treatment combination of 20 t FYM with grass mulching. Therefore, the use of 20 t FYM with grass mulching could be recommended for carrot production in the study area. Since this study is limited by the use of organic manure with mulching materials during one season and at one location, the results should be repeated across seasons and locations.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Eect of organic manures and mulching materials on growth, yield and quality of Carrot ","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-06-20 15:55:27","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4540262/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"c3153e32-85ca-405c-931e-6ef085942846","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 20th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-06-24T10:00:11+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-06-20 15:55:27","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4540262","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4540262","identity":"rs-4540262","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}