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What kind of fertilizer favors the soil quality in Međimurje County for pumpkin cultivation
Organization(s):Srednja škola Čakovec
Country:Croatia
Student(s):Luka Forgač, Nika Kuzmić, Tia Todorović, Lana Puškadija, Iva Fadiga, Luna Rodić
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Educator(s):Denis Horvat
Contributors:High school Čakovec and Medical school Varaždin
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report
Protocols:Soil Characterization, Soil Fertility, Soil pH, Soil Temperature
Presentation Poster:
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Language(s):English
Date Submitted:01/17/2025
With this study we wanted to prove the influence of fertilizers on the growth rate of pumpkin seedlings and young pumpkin plants. We also investigated which type of fertilizer (natural or artificial) is most suitable for the growth rate of pumpkin seedlings and young pumpkin plants. For the study itself, a soil sample was taken in Kotoribain Međimurje County. The sampling was carried out according to the GLOBE protocol for soil sampling. Subsequently, the pumpkin seeds were grown in such a way that we prepared 24 jars with 250 g of soil each. We used 3 jars for each type of fertilizer. The fertilizers we used were: Fertilizer made from nettle, comfrey, chamomile, chicken eggs, banana peels, horse manure, artificial fertilizer (Plantella) and a control group without fertilizer. By setting up control conditions for temperature, humidity, water quantity and sunlight, we investigated how the type of fertilizer affects the growth rate from the appearance of the first true leaves to adulthood by measuring the height of the stem with a ruler three times a week. The study was conducted from January 26 to March 1, 2024. The study showed that natural fertilizer of animal origin (fertilizer from chicken eggshells and horse manure) and artificial fertilizer are the most suitable.