Organic and Bio- fertilizers Improve Vegetative Characteristics and Nutrition Status of Young Pomegranate Trees (Punica granatum L.)
O. A. Amin
Department of Horticultural Crops Technology, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
Enas A. M. Ali *
Department of Horticultural Crops Technology, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
Eman A. A. Abd El-Moneim
Department of Horticultural Crops Technology, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This investigation was conducted during 2014 & 2015 on pomegranates young trees cv. 116 grown in sandy soil, irrigated by drip irrigation, at the farm of National Research Center located at El-Nobaria District, El-Behaira Governorate. This study aimed to improve both vegetative characteristics and nutrition status of pomegranate by using different sources of fertilizers (organic and Bio-fertilizers). In this respect organic N and natural raw mineral rocky materials of PK mixtures were used at concentration of (500, 1000.1500 and 2000 g/plant) individual or in combination with bio- NPK mixture. Vegetative growth parameters (plant height, stem diameter, shoots length, no. of shoots/plant, no. of leaves/shoot and leaf area) as well as mineral composition (N, P, K, Fe, Mn and Zn content) and total chlorophyll were determined. Result showed that, mixing between organic and bio-fertilizers (organic N and PK raw mineral rocky materials at 2000 g plus NPK bio-fertilizations mixture at 300 ml/ plant) resulted in the greatest improvement of all the studied growth parameters. A promotive effect was noticed in term of mineral composition as well as total chlorophyll for pomegranates young trees treated with mixed organic (NPK at 2000 g/plant) and bio-fertilizers (NPK at 300 ml/ plant).
Keywords: Bio and organic fertilizers, mineral composition, pomegranates and vegetative growth