RESPONSE OF ONION PLANTS TO BIO AND MINERAL FERTILIZATION UNDER SANDY SOIL CONDITIONS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hort. Dept., Fac. Agric., Zagazig Univ., Egypt

Abstract

This work was carried out during the two successive winter seasons of 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 at El-Khattara Exp. Farm, Fac. Agric., Zagazig Univ., Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, to study the effect of biofertilizers and NPK mineral fertilizers on the growth rate, total uptake of N, P and K, and yield of onion plants, under sandy soil conditions.
Fertilization of onion plants with some biofertilizers mixture; i.e., Rhizobacterine + Phosphorein + Potassumag at rate of 1.5 kg per feddan caused a significant effect on growth rate, total nutrients uptake (N, P and K), and the yield and its components expressed as average bulb weight, exportable, marketable and total yield, but did not affect both neck and bulb diameter and bulbing ratio.
Application of  N, P and K mineral fertilizers caused gradual and consistent increase in the growth rate except bulbing ratio, dry weight per plant, total nutrients uptake (N, P and K), as well as yield and its component.The maximum values in this respect were obtained via application of the relatively high levels of NPK mineral fertilizers; i.e., 100 kg N + 60 kg P2O5 + 100 kg K2O per feddan or by application of 80 kg N + 40 kg P2O5 + 80 kg K2O per feddan, without significant differences between them in most cases.
The interaction treatments between biofertilizers mixture and application of  N, P and K mineral fertilizers at a rate of 100 kg N + 60 kg P2O5 + 100 kg K2O per feddan or by application of 80 kg N+ 40kg P2O5 + 80 kg K2O per feddan caused a significant  increase in average bulb weight and total yield without significant differences between them

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