EFFECT OF FOLIAR APPLICATION WITH ASCORBIC, HUMIC ACIDS AND COMPOST TEA ON NUTRIENTS CONTENT AND FABA BEAN PRODUCTIVITY UNDER SANDY SOIL CONDITIONS.

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Ismailia Agriculture Research Station in winter through two successive seasons of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, it aims to study the effect of foliar application, organic acids and compost tea on some nutrients concentration and faba bean productivity in sandy soil. Plants were sprayed with foliar application, ascorbic, humic acid with rate of 2, 4, 6 and 8 m.L.-1 also compost liquid tea i.e. 500 L fed-1 at three periods e.g. 21, 45 and 60 days from sowing. Results showed that the application of ascorbic acid, humic acid and compost tea at high rates increased seed yield, pod yield, 100 grains and No.of branches per plant in both seasons. The mean values of grains yield were 0.989 in the first season and 0.992 Mg fed-1 in the second season for plants treated with ascorbic acid, 1.031 in the first season and 1.036 Mg.fed-1 for plants treated with humic acid and 0.889 in the first season and 0.895 Mg.fed-1 in the second season for plants treated with compost tea foliar application. On the other hand, the mean values combined of two seasons of pod yield were 1.195 Mg.fed-1 for ascorbic acid; 1.221 Mg.fed-1 for humic acid and 1.204 Mg.fed-1 for compost tea foliar application respectively. Macronutrients and micronutrients content in grains increased with increasing ascorbic rate, humic acid and compost tea compared with control. It could be suggested that faba bean plants grown under sandy soil conditions and foliar application with ascorbic acid at rate of 6 and 8 m.L.-1 ,humic aicd 6 m.L.-1 and compost tea at rate of 8 m.L.-1 to increase grains yield as well as seed chemical contents of faba bean plants.