This study investigates the effect of the palm oil mill effluent (POME) and rubber processing effluent (RPE) on some soil properties and growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) seedlings. Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) is one of the most important vegetables worldwide. It is a relatively short duration crop and gives a high yield. Tomato contributes to a healthy, well-balanced diet, as they are rich in minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals, etc., which enhances the protective properties of human health. To study these effects, a greenhouse trial was conducted at the faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin city, Nigeria. POME and RPE, respectively, were used as soil amendments at 0, 200, 400, 600 ml/3 kg soil in a completely randomized design in triplicate. Results from the pre-plant soils revealed that the soil organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium increased with increasing effluent applications while the soil pH remained in the acidic region and the soil exchangeable acidity (EA) reduced. The plant height, number of leaves, leaf length, stem girth and total biomass yield by the plant significantly increased (P < 0.05) with increasing effluent treatments. pH and EA were consistently higher in POME amended soils as compared to RPE in all the treatments while K, Mg and Ca were higher with RPE. Plant growth parameter suggests that the 600 ml POME treatment performed better for plant height and girth while number of leaves, leaf length and total biomass yield were better with RPE.
