The beneficial effects of minimizing mineral nitrogen fertilizers on fruiting of seewy date palms by using organic and bio-fertilizers

Abstract EN

The effects of replacing mineral-N fertilization partially by organic or biofertilization on growth and fruiting of Seewy date palms were studied during 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.

The palms are grown in a private orchard at ElDakhla oasis, New Valley, Egypt, where the texture of soil is sandy loam.

Ammonium nitrate, farmyard manure and nitrobien were added as mineral, organic and bio-forms of N, respectively.

The experiment was set up in a complete randomized block design with nine treatments and three replicates, one palm per each.

The obtained results indicated that: - Fertilizing the palms with either two forms (mineral plus organic) or (organic plus bio-form), as well as, three forms (mineral, organic plus bio-form) considerably increased the leaf area and N, P & K contents of leaves compared to using mineral-N source only.

Using three forms gave the highest values of these traits.

- Using either two form or three forms of nitrogen fertilization increased the residually of N, P and K compared to use mineral-N source only.

- The heaviest bunch weight was detected on the palms that fertilized with the three forms, contained the third of them.

Moreover, using either two or three forms was accompanied with improving fruit quality in terms of increasing fruit weight, total soluble solids and sugar contents and decreasing the moisture percentage.

So, it is concluded that Seewy date palm production can rely on organic and bio-fertilization as alternatives to mineral-N fertilization or at least rationalize its use in the production of organic palm dates as well as increasing soil fertility, the nutritional status and yield besides reducing environmental pollution that may occurr by excess of chemical fertilizers used.