Yields and quality of some vegetables and strawberries fertilized with composted horse or cattle manure

Summary

The yield of carrots by horse manure was 66 % higher than the yield with artificial fertilizer. The yields of other plants fertilized with composted horse manure or artificial fertilizer were equal. The yields of plants fertilized with cattle manure were clearly lesser. The taste of lettuces fertilized with artificial fertilizer was assessed to be the sweetest and the cattle manure fertilization the less sweet. Potato fertilized with horse manure was assessed significantly tenderer at structure than with other fertilizers. Triangle tests showed no significant differences in tastes of other vegetables between fertilizations.
Hygienic quality of vegetables fertilized with horse manure or artificial fertilizer was excellent. Small amounts of faecal microbes were found in the vegetables fertilized with cattle manure. Amounts of nitrate in cucumbers and lettuces were relatively high when fertilized with artificial fertilizer. The amounts of nitrate were low in all the other vegetables, and very low and equal when fertilized with horse or cattle manure.