Application of Manure and Phosphorus Bio-Solubilizers with Rock Phosphate in Calcareous Soils to Increase Phosphorus Availability and Productivity of Safflower Plant

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Soil Fertility and Microbiology Dept., Desert Research Center (DRC), Cairo

Abstract

Field experiments were carried out in Ras Sudr Research Station (29º 32' 29" N and 32º 39' 27'' E) during two successive seasons of 2013 and 2014. Salinity of irrigation water was 7.36 dSm-1 and that of soil paste extract was 7.96 dSm-1. The experimental design was a randomized complete block, with 3 replicates. The treatments included 4 factors as follows: Factor 1: Farmyard manure, 2: treatments, FYM1 and FYM2 of 24 and 48 m3 farmyard manure per hectare, respectively. Factor 2: P is two types, RP “rock phosphate (9.5% P2O5)”and SP “superphosphate (15.5% P2O5)”Factor 3: P applied at 2 rates of 31 and 62 kg P ha-1, respectively. Factor 4: Biofertilizers applied at 4 treatments as follows: none, VAM (Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza), PS “Psolubilizing bacteria” (Pseudomonas fluorescence and Bacillus megaterium) and VAM+PS. Thus, the total number of treatments in combinations were 32 (2 FYM, 2 P-type, 2 P rates and 4 biofertilzations). An extra treatment was performed involving no application of fertilizers nor biofertilizers (control). The biofertilizer was a mixture of inoculate of the P-solubilizing bacteria of Pseudomonas fluorescence and Bacillus megaterium. VAM was added at 20 kg ha-1. The results showed that plant yield and N, P and K contents and uptake increased by applying bio-fertilizers as well as farmyard manure and pmineral fertilizers. The most effective combinations are as follows: RP2 + (VAM) +FYM1 < SP2 + VAM + FYM1 < SP2 + (PS)+FYM1 < SP2 + (VAM +PS) + FYM1< SP2 + (VAM +PS) + FYM2. The Integration between mineral and bio-P-fertilizers with farmyard manure (FYM) application produced the most effective treatment (SP2+ VAM +PS+FYM2) which achieved the highest safflower yields which recorded 6.59, 3.36 and 36 for stalk (ton ha-1), seeds (ton ha-1) and oil (%) respectively.

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