THE POSSIBILITY OF REDUCING CHEMICAL PHOSPHATE FERTILIZATION BY USING MYCORRHIZAL INOCULATION AND SEAWEED EXTRACT FOLIAR SPRAYING AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF SNAP BEAN PLANTS

Document Type : Full research articles

Authors

Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University

10.21608/jaesj.2025.420678.1297

Abstract

Two successive field experiments were carried out at private farm Housh Eisa, El-Behera Governorate, over two summer seasons in 2022 and 2023.  This study investigates the effects of varying rates of phosphorus fertilizers, both with and without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), as well as the foliar application of seaweed extract on the snap bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris L.; c.v. Valentino). The experimental design was a randomized complete blocks design (RCBD) in split split-plot arrangement. The main plots were devoted to phosphorus fertilizer doses (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% of recommended dose), and the sub were allocated for AMF application (with or without), whereas the sub-sub-plots were dedicated to the foliar spray of seaweed extract (0, 2, and 4 g/l). The recorded vegetative growth characters were plant height (cm), shoots fresh and dry weights (g), and yield and its components characters as {pods length (cm), pod diameter (mm), number of pods/plant, pods weight/plant (g), pods yield (ton/fad). The results clearly pointed to a significant effect of the examined treatments on all studied traits, in both seasons of study. Moreover, the results showed that the most recommended combined treatment was using 75% P-fertilization applied to soil, along with 2 or 4 g/l of seaweed extract in the presence of AMF inoculation, in both seasons. Such treatment will contribute to lessening the use of chemical phosphate fertilizers by reducing the environmental hazards and producing safe snap bean green pods for human consumption.

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