Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/135
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Browsing Graduate Theses and Dissertations by Department "Agricultural Sciences"
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Item A Comparative Study on the Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Trapsacum Dactyloides, Zea Diploperennis and Zea Mays(2023-08) Besse, Kailyse; Mix, Ken; Mondal, Sejuti; Fulton, LawrenceNo abstract prepared.Item A comparison trial of of vermicompost teas as hydroponic nutrient solutions against commercial fertilizers: identifying nutrients and plant production(2021-05) Manthei, Ryan; Wagner, Nicole; Montoya, John; Saha, SubhrajitWhile vermicompost teas have many documented benefits, including increased plant growth and pest and disease suppression, less is known about the use of vermicompost teas as a source of nutrients in hydroponic systems. This experiment explored the application of vermicompost tea in hydroponically grown lettuce (Lactuca sativa), as compared with commercially fertilized plants. Lactuca sativa was grown hydroponically in floating rafts over two consecutive three-week cycles and was applied with commercial inorganic fertilizer, commercial organic fertilizer, or vermicompost fertilizer. Wet and dry above- and below-ground biomass, chlorophyll levels, root length were measured, along with levels of soluble nitrate and ammonium in each treatment reservoir. Average above-ground biomass, root length, and chlorophyll were significantly lower for vermicompost treatments as opposed to the other two treatments. Although the vermicompost treatment showed significantly lower plant production, mean nutrient levels were not significantly different except for ammonium and sulfate. More research is needed to further explore nutrient levels and plant production with vermicompost tea applications in hydroponic systems. Further studies may also indicate if vermicompost teas alone can enable yields that are similar to those experienced with commercial fertilizer applications or if a combination of vermicompost tea and an additional fertilizer application is necessary.Item A Feasibility Study of Hydroponic Shipping Container Farms in Businesses and Schools: Identifying the Influential Factors, Benefits, and Challenges(2018-12) Juarez, Marcella Inez; Wagner, Nicole; Morrish, Doug; Asiabanpour, Barahm; Minifie, JanaAgriculture is one of the largest and most profitable industries in the United States. It generated $992 billion in 2015 (Glaser, 2016). However, studies have identified that the agriculture sector has become increasingly more difficult for farmers to enter (Reid, 2013). Additionally, concern over the long-term sustainability of modern agriculture has arisen due to climate change, as well as economic, ecological, and social concerns (Gold, 2001). As a result, sustainable agriculture has become more popular as an alternative to traditional agriculture (Kirschenmann, 2004) and created a niche market for produce grown sustainably. Shipping container farms are one of the most recent agricultural innovations entering the market. This innovative method of production is promoted as efficient, profitable, and sustainable food production that can be utilized almost anywhere year-round (Freight Farms, 2017). However, there is limited data available on this new method of production, and the majority of that data come from hydroponic shipping container farm (HSCF) vendors. In this study the researcher sought to provide objective data on HSCF performance in businesses and schools by conducting a mixed method study. The following research objectives were used to fulfill the purpose of this study: (1) discover the influential factors for selecting a hydroponic system inside of a insulated shipping container for businesses and schools, (2) identify the benefits and challenges of HSCF in business and schools, and (3) describe the experiences of businesses and schools utilizing varying HSCF designs concerning their expectations, use and overall satisfaction. Results for the research indicated that all schools are satisfied by utilizing a HSCF on campus. Specifically, their experience the benefits of traditional school gardens while overcoming typical barriers that result in short term use of the soil-based garden on campus. Business owners of HSCF however, are not totally satisfied by utilizing a HSCF and their experiences varied based on the HSCF manufacturer they selected. Most importantly, the research identified why schools and business are selecting this innovative method of production, the benefits and challenges when utilizing a container farm, and described user experience to provide a real-world picture of HSCF performance in schools and businesses.Item A Study Concerned with the Teaching of Range Management in High School Vocational Agriculture Departments on the Edwards Plateau of Texas with Recommended Teaching Plans(1962-08) Massey, Clayton Albert; Young, Leroy J.No abstract prepared.Item Agriculture Teachers of Texas: Who will stay and who will go?(2017-04) McIntosh, Bridget; Morrish, Douglas; Wakefield, Dexter; Nava, MichaelThis study focused on the factors that affect the retention of agriculture teachers in the state of Texas. Results of the study concluded that the key reasons agriculture teachers are staying in the teaching profession revolve around job satisfaction, student success and the FFA organization success. However, there is not a lot of evidence that explains this phenomenon prior to them leaving the profession in Texas. Identifying the reasons agriculture teachers are considering leaving the profession is important to teacher educators, agriculture teachers, and school administration to better prepare teachers with professional development in those critical need areas. Descriptive statistics were used to identify various reasons for agriculture teachers' consideration to leave the profession or remain were utilized. Online questionnaires were distributed to 330 agriculture teachers in Texas addressing three important questions. The first question addressed what aspects current agriculture teachers felt first-year agriculture teachers were lacking to be effective teachers. The second question asked what aspects of teaching affected their consideration to leave the profession. All participants were asked what aspects of teaching affected their decision to remain in the teaching profession in question three. Results of the study indicated that the majority of agriculture teachers who considered leaving the profession felt there was too much stress related to FFA and SAE projects. The study found agriculture teachers stay in the profession because they feel a sense of recognition of their role in advising students. Current teachers indicated that stress management and student discipline were major issues faced by first year teachers.Item An Evaluation of the National Wildlife Federation's Schoolyard Habitat Program in the Houston Independent School District: Environmental Education, Integrated Curriculums and Academic Standards(2005-05) Danforth, Peter E.; Cade, Tina; Macey, Susan; Ocana, ClaudiaNo abstract prepared.Item An in vivo evaluation of defatted black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) for beef cattle consuming a basal diet of forage(2023-04) Tasci, Kayra; Drewery, Merritt; Wickersham, Tryon; Anderson, Ryan; Lane, MichelleIncreased food production demands have led to diminished natural resources and exacerbated pressure on livestock producers to increase output. Accordingly, there is a need to identify and investigate alternative livestock feeds that are economical and environmentally sustainable. Insect protein has been identified as an alternative to conventional protein sources, such as soybean meal (SBM), due to insect’s high feed efficiency and comparable protein concentrations. Specifically, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) has received attention as livestock feed due to its scalability, nutritional value, and other characteristics. Recent feeding trials and economic analyses demonstrate promise for integrating BSFL into the cattle feeding industry. Data collected from this study will be integral to the insect rearing industry and provide a base for future in vivo studies investigating the feasibility of BSFL as cattle feed.Item Anthelmintic Potential of Plant Extracts on Helminths in Small Ruminants(2019-12) Luce, Taylor W.; Benavides, Elizabeth; Mix, Ken; Kerwin, SeanGastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) cause substantial economic loss in the livestock industry. Currently, many anthelmintic drugs being used to treat GIN fall under only three classes of drugs. This leaves relatively few available alternatives to further control and treat GIN in livestock. Livestock producers, through continuous and non-therapeutic use of anthelmintics, have contributed to rapid development of anthelmintic resistant (AR) GIN. Therefore, it is imperative to develop and evaluate alternative anthelmintic treatments in order to effectively treat GIN and AR GIN. Research into numerous plants and plant extracts with anthelmintic potential have demonstrated promise as effective anthelmintic alternatives. Therefore, it was hypothesized that plant botanicals from wormwood (Artemisia annua), garlic (Allium sativum), and pumpkin seed (Cucurbita maxima) will prove to be just as effective as fenbendazole when treating GIN in small ruminants. Allicin exhibited a time-to-death similar to fenbendazole at the highest concentration tested (2.15 ± 0.54 h vs. 1.00 ± 0.54 h, p= 0.1527). Haemonchus contortus were exposed to botanical compounds in vitro where time-to-death was observed. Wormwood, garlic, and pumpkin seed were evaluated independently at varying concentrations. The current study revealed that allicin and pumpkin seed oil demonstrated significant anthelmintic activity against adult H. contortus at the concentrations tested.Item Assessing Texas' Farmers Cover Cropping Behavior Through Knowledge and Attitudes(2022-05) Westerman, Katherine; Omana Sudhakaran, Pratheesh; Wagner, Nicole; Mix, Ken; Backstrom, JesseNo abstract prepared.Item Assessment of soil, yield and yield contributing parameters of potato in legume intercropping and silicon application in Texas, United States(2023-08) Joshi, Binod; Mix, Ken; Mondal, Sejuti; Fulton, LawrencePotatoes account for nearly 15 percent of all vegetable sales in the United States and have a total economic value of approximately $3.91 billion. Unfortunately, potato production and productivity are declining due to increased pests, diseases, and climate change threats. Potatoes are particularly susceptible to damage from moisture and other climate-related factors. Degradation of land and excessive use of chemical fertilizer are two additional contributing factors contributing to the potato production problem. Because of this preexisting issue, the focus of this research was placed on two agricultural methods: the intercropping system and the application of silicon. For this reason, a research experiment was carried out in San Marcos, Texas, with a randomized complete design having six treatments and four replications, namely, sole potato, potato with pea, potato with fava bean, silicon applied potato with pea, potato with silicon, and silicon applied potato with fava bean. The experiment aimed to assess the yield and yield attributing parameters of potatoes in yield and to estimate the correlation among different parameters with yield. The plant height, leaf number, canopy, stem girth, and soil parameters related to yield collected were analyzed using R-studio. The research findings show an increment in yield and yield attributing potato parameters in intercropping compared to control. The average value of soil properties such as pH, organic matter, and soil moisture content did not differ significantly among the different treatment combinations. However, intercropping has a higher mean value of major soil parameters than sole cropping. The findings show that yield positively correlates with yield-attributing parameters like plant height, canopy, leaf number, and aerial stem. The tuber yield was 0.35 and 0.31 pounds per plant in potato-fava bean intercropped with silicon application, which was statistically significant at (p<0.01). Both phases of growth duration showed that intercropped potato and fava bean had a higher and more significant number of tubers per plant compared to sole cropping. The ANOVA results did not show statistically significant differences among different treatment combinations for 50 and 90% germination days. However, the ANOVA results show statistically significant differences among treatment combinations in both growing seasons for tuber yield. The silicon-applied potato fava bean intercrop offers more yield than the control. The harvest index value was found insignificant among different treatment combinations. Additionally, yield attributing parameters show statistically significant differences among treatment combinations such as plant height (p<0.05), leaf number (p<0.05), canopy (p<0.05), aerial branch (p<0.01), and stem girth (p<0.05). Furthermore, the correlation value among different parameters was found to be significant for (plant height-p<0.01, r=0.54, canopy- p<0.01, r=0.60) at 30 days after sowing, (plant height-P<0.01, r=0.44, canopy<0.01, r=0.56) at 45 DAS and (plant height- p<0.05, r=0.51, leaf number(r=0.31, stem girth -p<0.05, r=0.44) at 60DAS. Therefore, the results from the experiment indicate that intercropping has a positive effect compared to sole cropping among yield and yield attributing parameters on potatoes under San Marcos, climatic condition of Texas. However, to validate these findings more research should be conducted on a large scale on a multi-year and multilocation including the benefit-cost ratio of intercropping.Item Barriers and Bridges to Success: A Mixed Methods Needs Assessment of Texas Small Producers(2021-08) Tritsch, Katherine; Mix, Ken; Edwards, Michelle; Piña, Manuel, Jr.Small producers are celebrated as the face of U.S. agriculture, yet struggle with profitability, capitalization, lack of institutional support, and a host of other issues affecting their perceived and actual success. In this thesis, I use mixed methods to investigate the barriers and bridges to success for Texas small producers. I summarize findings from previous literature on small farm success factors and producer needs assessments, using thematic analysis to identify seven challenge categories. I developed a needs assessment questionnaire and surveyed 48 Texas small producers to identify their predominant challenges and evaluate predictors of their success and challenges. Finally, I conducted semi-structured interviews with eleven Texas small producers and discovered seven themes related to small farm success, challenges, and visions for the future. Results suggest that Texas small producers struggle primarily with access to land, labor, and capital and their exclusion from the traditional agricultural system. Texas small producers perceived success in terms of quality of life, fulfillment, relationships, and personal resilience, and expressed the need for greater institutional and consumer buy-in. I conclude with a list of recommendations aimed at agencies, organizations, and individuals who have the power to help Texas small producers succeed. Overall, supporting small and historically underserved producers could improve on-farm environmental sustainability, create thriving local food systems, and deliver opportunities for the next generation of farmers and ranchers.Item Career Satisfaction of Texas School-Based Female Agriculture Mechanics Teachers: An Examination of Influential Factors(2015-07) Geiken, Kaci B.; Saucier, P. Ryan; Morrish, Douglas G.; Bond, NathanThe purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental descriptive study is to assess the job satisfaction of female agricultural mechanics teachers in the state of Texas. Job satisfaction of agriculture teachers is an important issue due to high teacher turnover and low retention rate, which are linked to the teachers’ job satisfaction rating (Padilla-Velez, 1993). Female teachers are currently only staying in the agricultural education field for 6.49 years and this trend is perceived to be related back to their job satisfaction (Castillo, Conklin, & Cano, 1999). This study focuses on why teachers choose to enter the field of agricultural education, why they choose to stay, and if they are satisfied teaching agricultural mechanics courses at the secondary level. The target population of this study consisted of all female school-based agricultural science teachers in Texas, who at the time of the study, taught agricultural mechanics curriculum (n = 50). This group was contacted seven times using the modified Tailored Design Method (Dillman, Smyth, & Christian, 2014). The initial contact was an e-mail pre-notice. Next, there were five e-mail invitations for participants to complete an online data collection instrument. Finally, a mailed survey was sent to all non-respondents to give them one final opportunity to complete the questionnaire (n = 32). This final process yielded a response rate of 78% (n = 39) for the study.Item Composting as an Alternative Management System for Wild Taro (Colocasia esculenta) and Brown Algae (Sargassum fluitans and Sargassum natans)(2013-11) Sembera, Jennifer A.; (Waliczek) Cade, Tina M.; Kimmel, James; Sansom, AndrewNo abstract prepared.Item Consumer Preferences for Blockchain Technology in Agriculture(2024-05) Smith, Barbara; Backstrom, Jesse; Penn, Jerrod; Omana Sudhakaran, PratheeshInformation asymmetries inherent in the agricultural supply chain impose large economic costs. For instance, a lack of transparency regarding the quality attributes of food products may lead to the well-known “lemons” problem, where consumers cannot distinguish between high and low-quality products, leading to a market inundated with inferior products. Blockchain technology is a contemporary solution to this problem, as it offers a mechanism to provide comprehensive information on the production of agricultural products to consumers, but also the broader supply chain. This paper aims to explore consumer preferences for farm-level production attributes to be included in a blockchain ledger, and how these preferences vary across agricultural product groups and along demographic dimensions. Using a Best-Worst Scaling approach, we analyze preferences for five farm-level production attribute groups (ownership of farm, farm location, inputs, carbon footprint, and water footprint) across five categories of products (meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, coffee and tea, and ornamentals). Our findings reveal that across all product groups, farm inputs are consistently the most preferred attribute to be included in a blockchain ledger. For all categories carbon and water footprint alternate between second and third most preferred, while farm ownership and location are the least preferred.Item Determining Influential Factors In Consumers Food Purchasing Decisions(2021-08) Elizondo, Anisa; Sudhakaran, Pratheesh; Dey, Madan; Morrish, DougNo abstract prepared.Item Determining the consumer perception on perishable food wastage in Texas, United States(2023-08) Pandey, Subodh Raj; Sudhakaran, Pratheesh Omana; Dey, Madan Mohan; Biediger-Friedman, Lesli M.Currently, 9 million people die every year from hunger-related issues worldwide while one-third of the produced food is wasted. It is a global as well as a regional problem. Among the different states of the United States, one-eighth of the Texans are vulnerable to food insecurity. The changing demographics, driven by the recent population influx, have not only affected consumption and wastage pattern but have also influenced environmental, resource, and social concerns. Water scarcity and drought further exacerbate its impact. With agriculture being a crucial contributor to the Texas economy, food wastage disrupts the entire supply chain globally. To address this issue, this study aims to identify the current pattern of food wastage, factors affecting food wastage, and finally to propose sustainable solutions. Also, this study identifies the consumer food shopping behavior, perceptions, knowledge, and motivations of the consumers towards reducing this problem. To fulfill these objectives, an online questionnaire survey using Qualtrics was conducted. The stratified random sampling method was employed matching the diversity of Texas in terms of age, educational level, household income, and race. Multinomial logistic regression was used to find the factors affecting food wastage and binomial logistic regression was used to find the determinants of the consumers’ willingness to accept the proposed solution. MS Excel and STATA were used for data analysis. Among the different foods, fruits and vegetables were most wasted followed by homemade meals, packaged foods, milk, bread, and meat. The major cause of food waste was identified as a change in plan followed by buying too much/too little, lack of a plan, unforeseen schedule conflict, and dislike of leftovers. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that the number of family members, race, frequency of purchase, number of children, food handling training, income level, education level, favorable shopping behavior, knowledge score, and engagement in waste reduction strategies were the significant determinants of food wastage. Further, three solutions were proposed which include packaging bags near the restaurant table, sharing the leftovers through mobile applications, and incentives via discounts for making and adhering to the shopping list. Binomial logistic regression found that the number of family members, knowledge score, and preferred shopping behavior score were the predictors of willingness to accept these proposed solutions. These overall findings will help the future researchers by providing guidelines about the consumers behavior. The policymakers benefit from this study by knowing the resent scenario and implementing these solutions to mitigate the food waste problem.Item Determining the Ovicidal Capabilities of Allicin, S-allyl Cysteine, and Pumpkin Seed Oil for Mitigation of Haemonchus contortus Infections in Goats(2020-12) Hayes, Collin; Benavides, Elizabeth; Mix, Ken; Wagner, NicoleAnthelmintic drugs are widely used treatment options to control gastrointestinal nematodes found in ruminants worldwide. These gastrointestinal nematodes are becoming increasingly resistant towards these drugs, prior to novel anthelmintic development. One of those parasites, Haemonchus contortus, has proven resistant to available anthelmintics, developing new mechanisms of resistance at a rapid pace. This resistance has led to major economic losses worldwide due to haemonchosis. In an attempt to determine athelmintic alternatives and help decrease developing resistance, researchers and producers are turning toward botanical alternatives with documented anthelmintic properties. For this study, it was proposed that plant extracts derived from garlic (allicin, S-allyl cysteine) and pumpkin seeds (PSO) would exhibit ovicidal capabilities in vitro, when H. contortus eggs were exposed to these extracts. Egg hatch inhibition tests were conducted using these plant extracts. Allicin and S-allyl cysteine exhibited the strongest ovicidal effects at a 4% v/v concentration and 8.7% v/v concentration, respectively. Allicin at the 4% concentration averaged 55% of eggs inhibited from hatching over eight days, while S-allyl cysteine at an 8.7% concentration averaged 43% of eggs inhibited. PSO showed modest inhibition over eight days at the 4% concentration, averaging 24% of eggs inhibited from hatching. These plant extracts could benefit producers needing viable alternatives to synthetic anthelmintics for mitigating anthelmintic-resistant H. contortus infections in their goat herds.Item Diverse Rice Accessions: Exploration for Germplasms with Important Agronomic Traits for Breeding Use(2023-12) Chepuri, Rushika; Wagner, Nicole; Mondal, Sejuti; Talukder, ShyamalRice (Oryza sativa) is the essential staple food eaten by 50% of the world’s population. The need to increase the yield of this crucial commodity has been prompted by the exponential growth rate of the world’s population. The functioning of each component of the plant is reflected in the yield, which is the culmination of many other qualities. In other words, each crop has a built-in physiological production system that utilizes the energy required for essential plant activity. Finding the phenotypic qualities that affect yield is crucial for improving the effectiveness of a plant breeding program. The current study was conducted to evaluate and identify agronomic traits that might be suitable for rice germplasm enhancement, identify rice lines with desired agronomic architecture for high yield potential and evaluate the interrelationships between desired agronomic traits. Results of the study showed that approximately 45.9% of all rice accessions had a plant height below the mean value, while 54.1% of the accessions had heights above the mean. Moreover, only 4% of the population fell within the range of 60 cm to 80 cm, and 20% had plant heights ranging from 90 cm to 100 cm. The flag leaf area (FLA) in the first year ranged from 7.2 cm to 65.1 cm. Similar results were observed in the second-year data, where the range was from 9.5 cm to 65.5 cm. Rice accessions 329B, IR-44595, Chacareiro Uruguay, Pergonil 15, WAB462-10-3-1, and Hatsunishiki exhibited the highest flag leaf areas, ranging from 40 cm to 65 cm. Notably, a small proportion, specifically 5.9% of the accessions, exhibited flag leaf lengths shorter than the reference check varieties, falling from 19 cm to 29cm. The Somewake variety has the longest flag leaf length from the overall rice accessions. The Edith variety stood out among the various rice accessions, boasting the widest flag leaves. In the initial year of the study, an analysis of primary branch counts across diverse plant varieties revealed a range extending from a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 15.3. The prevalence of a higher number of primary branches (PB) in check varieties was a consistent trend observed in both years. Additionally, the RU-903141 variety closely approximated the primary branch count of the Presidio variety. Secondary branches exhibited a range of values from 0.33 to 8.67, with an overall mean value of 2.6. Co-efficient analysis revealed that plant height exhibits noteworthy and statistically significant positive correlations with flag leaf area (r = 0.20*), and flag leaf length (r = 0.19*). Flag leaf area, on the other hand, exhibits markedly substantial and statistically significant positive correlations with both flag leaf length (r = 0.76***) and flag leaf width (r = 0.68***), with p values below 0.001. Flag leaf width displayed a significantly strong positive correlation with flag leaf area but had a nonsignificant negative correlation with the umber of primary branches (r = -0.01) and a moderately positive but non-significant correlation with the number of secondary branches (r = 0.08, p >= 0.05). The number of primary branches exhibited positive but non-significant lower correlations with flag leaf area and flag leaf length, and negative but non-significant correlations with plant height and flag leaf width. Intriguingly, it had a positive and significant correlation with the number of secondary branches (r = 0.14*, p < 0.05). In summary, our research demonstrates the utility of phenotypic data in the initial selection of rice lines with desirable traits, paving the way for subsequent genotypic analyses aimed at identifying the specific genes responsible for these qualities. However, breeders must exercise caution when choosing traits, as an improvement in one trait may have repercussions on others, as exemplified by the potential trade-off between flag leaf width and the number of primary branches.Item Effectiveness of Mycorrhizae and Vermiculture Seed Inoculation for Germination, Vegetative Growth, Cannabinoid Content, and Cured Flower Weight of CBD-Rich Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)(2023-05) Boyer, Hannah; Wagner, Nicole; Drewery, Merritt; Anderson, RyanEffective germination and vigorous growth of hemp varietals is paramount to cultivators’ ability to produce high-quality hemp outputs. Mycorrhizae and the beneficial organisms found in vermiculture are known symbionts to plants and are used in regenerative agriculture to increase plant health and crop yield. This study investigated the effect of a single inoculation of beneficial microbes on hemp seed germination rate, plant height, cured flower weight, and cannabinoid content. While the results demonstrate no statistically significant differences between treatments in any of the parameters measured, the study results demonstrate potential for further investigation into seed inoculants for enhanced cured flower weight and cannabidiol (CBD) content of CBD-rich hemp.Item Effects of Amorphous Silica on Growth and Nutrients Accumulation in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)(2020-08) Rea, Rafea Sultana; Mix, Ken; Beall, Gary; Dharmasiri, NihalSilicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Plants uptake Si from the soil which impacts their growth and nutrients accumulation. It is known to increase plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses like drought, salinity, and heavy metal, diseases, and pest infestation. Eco-Sil™ is an amorphous silica produced from rice hull, which has not been studied as a fertilizer. In this study, the effect of EcoSil™ fertilization on the growth and nutrients accumulation of lettuce plant was analyzed. The study was conducted in the greenhouse using two Si fertilizers: 1) Eco-Sil™ and 2) diatomaceous earth following three doses: 0.38, 0.75 and 1.25 g kg-1 soil. Eco-Sil™ was applied following soil and foliar application method whereas only soil application of diatomaceous earth was followed. Both forms of Si fertilizer increased plant growth. EcoSil™ increased plant height and weight up to 10% and 20% respectively compared with control, which was statistically similar with diatomaceous earth for certain doses and the effect was significantly (p<0.05) different for two different methods of application and three different doses. However, further increase of Eco-Sil™ dose caused decrease in plant height and weight. There was a statistically significant effect of nutrient accumulation in leafy part of lettuce plant, but the effect for some nutrients were not adequate to improve plant growth. Lettuce accumulated higher concentration of N, Ca, Mg, Zn, B and Mn due to soil application of Eco-Sil™ whereas, P, S, Fe and Cu accumulation decreased. Almost no effect was observed in case of K accumulation. Nutrients accumulation was least for foliar application of Eco-Sil™. Collectively, these results indicate the positive effects of Si fertilizers as well as Eco-Sil™ on lettuce plant growth and nutrients accumulation.