ISSN : 2663-2187

Effect of Bio and Organic Fertilizers on Yield and Quality of Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera, cv Sakkoti) fruit grown in Aswan Governorate and their Contents of Iron and Zinc

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Saber Mahmoud Ahmed, Ramy Mosaad El-Khayat, Reda Mohamed El-Shahat, Mohamed Aly Badawi
» doi: 10.48047/AFJBS.6.2.2024.2552-2568

Abstract

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit plantlets grown in arid region face several kinds of environmental stress. The vast majority of date palms in Egypt are planted in sandy calcareous soils, which are generally low in fertility beside of their extremely low values of the cation exchange capacity that facilitate either leaching and /or fixing the nutrients applied to theses soils as fertilizers. Such conditions might reduce both tree yield and fruit quality. An experiment was conducted during the 2022/2023 season on Sakkoti palm trees using chemical fertilizers (the recommended dose of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), organic fertilizers (compost and humic substances), and biofertilizers. The biofertilizers included Thiobacillus bacteria, which work to dissolve sulfur, which improves the palm’s absorption of elements and bacteria. Bacillus megatherum, which works to dissolve rock phosphate when added to the soil as a source of phosphorus in agriculture. This is to find out the extent to which these additions are possible improve nutrient uptake, date yield per tree and fruit quality. (e.g., fruit weight and size, TSS, and acidity). The experiment was designed according to a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The results showed that treatment No.7 (T7) (Compost + EDTA + Thiobacillus + Bacillus megatherium + sulfur + rock phosphate + humic substances) had the highest yield of date fruits, which reached 116.7 kg/tree, and the bunch weight was 14.8 kg. Total sugars reached 73.8%, and the crude fibers reduced to 1.15%. In addition, to increasing the iron contents of the date fruit to 135 mg/kg, as well as zinc, its concentration in the date fruit increased to 81 mg/kg. Also, the results showed that T7 contained the highest numbers of total count bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi during different time periods in the root zone, in addition to, an increase dehydrogenase and phosphatase enzymes activity during the same different time periods in the root zone compared to treatment No. 1 (T1) (recommended dose of NPK). It can be concluded; organic fertilizer and bio fertilizers are promising tool to enhancement productivity and quality fruits of date palm comparison with chemical fertilizers.

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