Effect of soil organic additives on growth and yield of tomato under el-arish region conditions

Abstract EN

Field experiments were carried out in summer season of 2017 and 2018 at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, North Sinai, Egypt.

This study aimed to study the effect of some soil organic additives (without application, application of biochar alone at a rate of 4 ton fed -1, application of crashed wheat straw mulch at a rate of 1.25 ton fed -1, and application of biochar + crashed wheat straw mulch both at a ratio of 1: 1(in weight basis) from their previous doses per fad.

on growth and yield of tomato crop.

Seeds of “GS12 F1” hybrid were transplanted on 23rd April.

Plants were irrigated using drip irrigation system; the distance between dripper lines centers was 1.2 m.

The plot area was 14.4 m2 (12 m length and 1.2 m width), the distance between the plants in the same row was 50 cm; planting density was 1.67 plant/m2.

Treatments were randomly distributed in a complete randomized block design in three replications.

Results cleared that soil organic additives resulted in gradually reduction in soil pH and EC during all periods of plant growth, with recording the lowest values in the late period.

Also, the application of biochar + crashed wheat straw mulch followed by biochar alone recorded the lowest values in both seasons.