Influence of Biochar, Rock Phosphate, and Urea Nitrogen Fertilizer on Growth and Yield of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) Grown in Standoff, Southern Alberta Greenhouse

Two trials were performed in greenhouse Standoff, Southern Alberta to investigate urea, rock phosphate, and biochar soil amendment on cucumber crops. The objective of the study was to confirm the effectiveness of rock phosphate and biochar with urea on greenhouse cucumber production. Two experiments were conducted in the Summer of 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons. The treatments applied in 2020 were the varying application of rock phosphate at 0 for control, 50 kg P ha-1 and 100 kg P ha-1 for phosphorus, and urea at 60 kg N ha-1 and 90 kg N ha-1 for nitrogen with their combinations N60 + P50, N90 + P100. In the 2021 cropping season, treatments applied were varying levels of Biochar (C) applied at a rate of 25 kg ha-1 (LC), 50 kg ha-1 (MC), and 100 kg ha-1 HC for Low, Medium, and High level, respectively, Urea (N) was applied at 30 kg N ha-1 and 60 kg N ha-1 (Low N and High N level, respectively) while rock phosphate (P) was applied at 25 kg P ha-1 and 50 kg P ha-1 (Low P and High P level, respectively) with their combinations. The seven treatments for each cropping season were replicated three times resulting in twenty-one experimental pots. The agronomical parameters data collected were subjected to one-way univariate analysis of variance using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at 5% to separate the treatment means. The results of the experiment showed that High P and Low N treated pots influenced the growth of cucumber crop at 122 days after sowing (DAS) while High N, Low N, and Low N + Low P jointly favored the highest number of cucumbers on the vines than other treated pots at 82 DAS during the 2020 cropping season. However, all the treatments supported cucumber vine length except control and High P at 96 DAS while Low P + MC, High P, and High N+ P produced more fruits than control, High N and Low N + P + HC treatments at 96 DAS during the 2021 cropping season. It was observed that the addition of biochar in the 2021 cropping season influenced the growth and yield of cucumber when compared performance of cucumber crops in two growing seasons. This experiment advocates the use of biochar soil amendment in cucumber production.