Research Article
Enhancing Vegetable Growth and Germination through Compost-Based Organic Farming in Pakistan
Simran*
Department of Environmental Science, Government College Women University Sialkot, 51310, Pakistan
*Corresponding author:Simran, Department of Environmental Science, Government College Women University Sialkot, 51310, Pakistan. E-mail Id: simranhameed4@gmail.com
Article Information:Submission: 03/01/2026; Accepted: 05/02/2026; Published: 07/02/2026
Copyright: © 2026 Simran. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
In Pakistan, agricultural sustainability faces obstacles due to soil erosion, heavy reliance on pesticides, and dwindling crop yields. Organic farming based on compost is a viable solution for providing sustainability, though there are few to no experimental data on organic farming at the household or community
levels. The pilot project presented in this article was conducted in Sialkot, Pakistan, and seeded the initial growth of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum) utilizing either compost-based organic management (treatment) or conventional chemical
management (control). The two measures collected were:
(1) plant height recorded at 60 days post-seedling emergence (2) recording the time to seed germination. The results indicated significant benefit for organic treatments with a decreased seed germination time of 25.0%, 14.3%, and 7.7% for gourd, tomato, and chilli, respectively. Plant growth for tomato, chili, and gourd was 22.2%, 20.0%, and 14.3% taller, respectively, when managed organically. Plant growth during the 60 days post-seedling emergence measured modest improvement for gourd plant height, which was not statistically significant (d = 2.0). The effect size (Cohen’s d-fx) from tomato and chili germination accounted for over twice standard deviation units than gourd germination (6.0 and 4.0, respectively). Results from robustness checks, utilizing Bootstrap and leave- one-out sensitivity analysis demonstrated strong reliability for effects noted for tomato and chili and less certainty for gourd. Regardless, this evidence suggests that when compost is amended, likely increases in microbial activity, soil structure, and nutrient availability contributes to improved plant growth and faster seedling emergence regardless of tool to the compost treatment. This initial study shows the agronomic potential of compost-based organic amendments in peri-urban home farming, even with its recognized restriction from the lack of replication. In addition, it has created an opportunity for future duplicated studies to examine longer-term effects on soil fertility and production, during multiple seasons.
(1) plant height recorded at 60 days post-seedling emergence (2) recording the time to seed germination. The results indicated significant benefit for organic treatments with a decreased seed germination time of 25.0%, 14.3%, and 7.7% for gourd, tomato, and chilli, respectively. Plant growth for tomato, chili, and gourd was 22.2%, 20.0%, and 14.3% taller, respectively, when managed organically. Plant growth during the 60 days post-seedling emergence measured modest improvement for gourd plant height, which was not statistically significant (d = 2.0). The effect size (Cohen’s d-fx) from tomato and chili germination accounted for over twice standard deviation units than gourd germination (6.0 and 4.0, respectively). Results from robustness checks, utilizing Bootstrap and leave- one-out sensitivity analysis demonstrated strong reliability for effects noted for tomato and chili and less certainty for gourd. Regardless, this evidence suggests that when compost is amended, likely increases in microbial activity, soil structure, and nutrient availability contributes to improved plant growth and faster seedling emergence regardless of tool to the compost treatment. This initial study shows the agronomic potential of compost-based organic amendments in peri-urban home farming, even with its recognized restriction from the lack of replication. In addition, it has created an opportunity for future duplicated studies to examine longer-term effects on soil fertility and production, during multiple seasons.
Keywords:Compost; Organic Farming; Sensitivity Analysis; Sustainable Agriculture; Vegetable Crops