Agricultural Production: Improving “Dabsha” Mango Trees Productivity and Fruit Quality by Biological Fertilizers

Abstract

Bio-fertilizers are used to improve the fertility of the land using biological wastes, hence the term bio-fertilizers and biological wastes do not contain any chemicals which are detrimental to the living soil. This study was done at Dibba Experiment Station, Eastern Region, Ministry of Environment & Water, UAE to study the effect of two types of biological fertilizers (Alnawaya and Super Alnawaya) on “Dabsha” mango trees productivity and fruit quality. The bio-fertilizers were applied at two different doses (25 Kg/tree and 50 Kg/tree) and were added in a powder form to 20 year-old mango trees. These fertilizers are formed from balanced organic manure enriched with 0.5% special marine and decomposed microbes “SUPERBAN” were added. Trees supplemented with Super Alnawaya biological fertilizer at both doses had higher yield than the control and the Alnawaya (25 kg/tree) treatments with no significant differences between the rest of the treatments. Super Alnawaya fertilizer (25 Kg/tree) increased tree yield by about 88% compared with the control in the second season and the yield increment was over 100% in the first season. In the first season, Alnawaya fertilizer increased fruit pulp (%) significantly over that of the control while in the second season, Super Alnawaya (25 Kg/tree) increased fruit pulp (%) significantly over that of the high dose of Super Alnawaya. Fruit firmness and soluble solids content (SSC) were reduced by all treatments in comparison with the control treatment, in the first season only. In both seasons, leaves mineral contents did not change radically by the treatments. Therefore, Super Alnawaya (25kg/tree) fertilizer is recommended for 20 year-old “Dabsha” mango trees growing in coarse soil under the UAE subtropical environment.