Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Plant Prod. Dept., Fac. Environ. Agric. Sci., Suez Canal Univ., Egypt
2
Bot. and Microbiol. Dept., Fac. Sci., El-Arish, Suez Canal Univ., Egypt
Abstract
This experiment was conducted during 2013- 2014 and 2014 – 2015 seasons at the Experimental Farm, Fac. of Environ. Agric. Sci., El-Arish, Suez Canal Univ., Egypt, to study the effect of mycorrhiza inoculation (AM) and foliar spray of some plants aqueous extracts (Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and Moringa oleifera M.) on fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) growth and productivity. The applied concentrations of licorice root extract were control (distilled water), 20 gl-1 (L1), 40 gl-1 (L2) and 60 gl-1 (L3), while moringa leaves extract concentrations were control (distilled water), 20 gl-1 (M1), 40 gl-1 (M2) and 60 gl-1 (M3). Both aqueous extracts were applied twice (the first was after one month of cultivation and the second one was after two weeks from the first one). The obtained results showed that inoculated fennel plants with mycorrhiza Fungi and sprayed with L2 (40 gl-1) or L3 (60 gl-1) aqueous extract of licorice roots recorded the highest significant values of all growth and flowering parameters without significant difference between both treatments in most cases in the first season. The same trend was observed in the second season, but only inoculated plants which were sprayed with 60 gl-1 licorice extract gave the highest significant growth and flowering values, i.e., plant height,branch number, herb fresh and dry weights, number of umbels per plant and number of umbellets per umbel (100.03 cm, 9.70, 67.74 g, 24.88 g, 10.66 and 11.33, respectively). Moreover, fennel plants inoculated with AM Fungi combined with spraying (60 gl-1) aqueous extract of licorice roots (L3) resulted in a significant increase of fruit No./umbel, fruit yield/plant and fruit yield/fad. (12.66, 17.51g and 490.28 kg, respectively) during the first season and 13.00, 18.46 g and 516.88 kg, respectively in the second season. On the other hand, fennel plants inoculated with AM Fungi combined with aqueous extract foliar spray of moringa leaves (M3) gave the highest herb contents of nitrogen (0.374 and 0.385 ppm), phosphorus (0.275 and 0.283 ppm) and potassium (148.49 ppm and 156.13 ppm) in both seasons, respectively.
Keywords
)
View on SCiNiTO