Response of Egyptian lupine (Lupinus termis Forssk.)‎ plants grown in calcareous soil to active dry yeast at different concentrations

الملخص EN

Two pots experiments were carried out during two successive seasons of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 at Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University to study the response of Egyptian lupine plant cv.

Giza 2 grown in calcareous soil to foliar application with active dry yeast at different concentrations.

Plants were sprayed three times with yeast concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8%.

The obtained results during the two studied seasons revealed that, growth characters of Egyptian lupine plant cv.

Giza 2, i.e., plant height, root length, number of leaves /plant, leaf area, number of branches /plant and fresh as well as dry weights were significantly increased at active dry yeast concentrations over 0.1% comparing to those of unsprayed plants.

The maximum growth values were attained at concentrations of 0.5%.

Yield and most its components represented by peduncle length, number of pods, number of seeds, weight of pods, weight of seeds and seeds yield/plant as well as weight of 100-seeds were also increased at active dry yeast concentrations higher than 0.1%.

However the enhancement growth characters due to yeast application was more observed from anatomical studies.

Where sections diameters of roots, stems and leaf petiole were increased, resulting from increasing phelloderm thickness and diameter of vascular cylinder for root; average cortical cell diameter, thickness of vascular cylinder for stem and vascular bundle dimensions for leaf petiole.

Also medvein and blade thickness were increased in plants sprayed with yeast especially at concentrations higher than o.5%.

Such increases resulted from increasing palisade and spongy tissues thickness and vascular bundle dimensions.

Yeast application had stimulatory effect on N.P.K, chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids concentrations in Egyptian lupine leaves and total carbohydrates, total N, protein and total alkaloids in dry seeds.