Organic and Bio- fertilizers Improve Vegetative Characteristics and Nutrition Status of Young Pomegranate Trees (Punica granatum L.)

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).