Influence of bio and chemical fertilization on croton production

Abstract EN

The present study was carried out during the two seasons of 2014/ 2015 and 2015/2016 in Nubaria region, west of Alexandria city, Egypt.

A pot experiment conducted to examine the possibility of producing Codiaeum variegatum L.

plants under lower levels of NPK chemical fertilizer doses by using some biofertilizers.

Five tested treatments were used including control, full mineral NPK dose (36 g of ammonium sulphate, 20.5% N, 24 g of calcium super phosphate, 15 % P2O2 and 12 g of potassium sulphate, 48% K2O,) per plant, 1/2 inorganic NPK dose + 1 g nitrobein, 1/2 inorganic NPK dose + 1 g phosphorien, and 1/2 inorganic NPK dose + 1 g nitrobein + 1 g phosphorein.

The obtained results indicated that the different vegetative growth characters as well as chemical constituents of croton plants were considerably augmented due to various mineral NPK or 1/2 NPK + biofertilizers.

The best results were obtained by mineral full NPK dose and the half dose of NPK plus nitrobein and phosphorein biofertilizers.

Such two superior treatments gave almost equal results which assure the possibility of replacing one half of the chemical NPK by the use of some N- fixing and Pdissolving bacteria biofertilizers in producing ornamental shrubs such as Codiaeum variegatum