Citation: Qasim, M.; Ju, J.; Zhao, H.; Bhatti, S.M.; Saleem, G.; Memon, S.P.; Ali, S.; Younas, M.U.; Rajput, N.; Jamali, Z.H. Morphological and Physiological Response of Tomato to Sole and Combined Application of Vermicompost and Chemical Fertilizers. Agronomy 2023, 13, 1508. https://doi.org/10.3390/ agronomy13061508 Academic Editor: Claudio Ciavatta Received: 6 May 2023 Revised: 20 May 2023 Accepted: 29 May 2023 Published: 30 May 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). agronomy Article Morphological and Physiological Response of Tomato to Sole and Combined Application of Vermicompost and Chemical Fertilizers Muhammad Qasim 1,2, * , Jing Ju 1,2, * , Haitao Zhao 1,2 , Saleem Maseeh Bhatti 3 , Gulnaz Saleem 4 , Saima Parveen Memon 2 , Shahzaib Ali 5 , Muhammad Usama Younas 6 , Nimra Rajput 6 and Zameer Hussain Jamali 7 1 Key Laboratory of Arable Land Quality Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127,China; htzhao@yzu.edu.cn 2 College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China 3 Department of Soil Science, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Tandojam 70060, Pakistan; smbhatti@gmail.com 4 College of FoodScience and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127,China 5 Department of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; alisha00@fzt.jcu.cz 6 Department of Crop Breeding and Genetics, Agriculture College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225012, China 7 Institute of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Sichuan Agricultural University, No. 211 Huimin Road, Chengdu 611130, China * Correspondence: qrajput64@gmail.com (M.Q.); jujing@yzu.edu.cn (J.J.) Abstract: Chemical fertilizers are commonly used to meet the nutritional demands of crops and boost their yields. However, their high costs and excessive application in soils increase the cost of produc- tion and have negative effects on the soil and environmental health. Vermicompost is an organic amendment that can potentially lessen the dependence on chemical fertilizers, with the additional advantages of sustainable nutrient supply to crops and maintaining soil health. To evaluate the potential of the two diverse vermicompost, the sole and combined applications of these vermicompost with reduced rates of chemical fertilizers were used for tomato cultivation in a field study. The results indicated that vermicompost produced from cattle manure combined with chemical fertilizers was more effective in improving tomato growth, physiology, yield, and nutritional attributes. Compared to the control treatment (NP applied), the combined application of vermicompost and chemical fertilizer significantly improved the root length (21.6%), plant height (167%), SPAD value (13.5%), chlorophyll ‘a’ (96%), chlorophyll ‘b’ (161%), relative water content (16%), membrane stability index (18%), carotenoid (87%), yield (82%), photosynthetic rate (148%), fruit diameter (83%), protein (89%), fat (27.5%), fiber (12%), vitamin C (52%), calcium (54%), magnesium (117%), phosphorus (38%) and potassium (128%). In addition, significant improvements in different soil physicochemical properties were also pragmatic. The results suggest that vermicompost application with reduced doses of chemical fertilizers can be used to improve crop yield and soil physico-chemical properties. Keywords: tomato; vermicompost; inorganic fertilizer; nutrients availability; yield; soil health 1. Introduction Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a highly valued vegetable crop in horticulture due to its nutritional value and versatile culinary applications [1]. Tomatoes are rich in essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C, and E; calcium; and niacin, which are linked to numerous human health benefits [2]. The global demand for tomatoes has increased significantly in recent years due to population increase, their widespread availability, and affordability [3]. However, traditional methods of tomato cultivation Agronomy 2023, 13, 1508. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061508 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy