Respuesta Agronómica y Fauna Edáfica de Brassica rapa bajo Lombricompost en el Trópico Ecuatoriano

Abstract

Justification: Intensive vegetable production requires alternatives that jointly address productivity, soil biological activity, and economic feasibility. Objective: To evaluate turnip agronomic response and soil fauna under vermicompost, urea, and an unfertilized control. Methodology: A randomized complete block design with three treatments and three replicates was conducted in Valle Hermoso, Santo Domingo, Ecuador. Treatments comprised 240 g of vermicompost per plant, 5 g of 46% urea per plant, or no fertilizer. Establishment, plant height at 15, 30, and 45 days, fresh mass at 45 days, family richness, invertebrate abundance, and a projected benefit–cost ratio were assessed. Means were compared using Tukey’s test at a .05 significance level. Results: Vermicompost produced 98.67% establishment, 33.10 cm final height, and 0.675 kg fresh mass, outperforming urea in height and mass. Family richness did not differ among treatments, whereas abundance was higher with vermicompost (12.33 individuals) than in the control (5.67) or urea treatment (2.80). The treatment achieved a benefit–cost ratio of 1.28, equivalent to a net profit of USD 0.28 for every dollar invested. Conclusion: The tested vermicompost rate combined greater growth, harvestable biomass, soil-fauna abundance, and potential economic return; however, ecological inference requires stronger taxonomic and temporal sampling.