Growth, Yield, Bulb Quality and Storability of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) as Affected by Using Poultry Manure, Sulphur and Different Levels of Phosphorus Fertilizer

Abstract

An important bulb vegetable is garlic with several nutritional and medicinal benefits (Anti-infective properties such as anti-cancer). Poultry manure is an ecofriendly, economically viable and considered a suitable solution for overcoming environmental pollution and to improve soil fertility and also increase the qualitative and quantitative of garlic (Allium sativum L.). So, this work was conducted at Mallawi Agriculture Research Station, Minia governorate, Egypt, as well as Laboratories of Horticulture and Food Science Departments, Faculty of Agriculture, New Valley Branch, Assuit University during two winter seasons of 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 to study the influence of poultry manure, sulphur and different levels of phosphorus fertilizer on growth, yield and its components, bulb quality as well as bulb storability of garlic cv. Egaseed 1. The obtained results revealed that there were a significant effect for poultry manure, sulphur and different levels of phosphorus fertilizer on the remaining nutrients such as N, P, K (ppm) and organic matter percentage (OM %) in the soil postharvest, growth, yield and its components, bulb quality, plant nutrient status and uptake of N, P, K and S kg fed.-1 and storability (weight loss %) of garlic blub. The study revealed that application of 5 ton fed.-1 of poultry manure and 100 kg fed.-1 of sulphur and 60 kg P2O5 fed.-1 was the best treatment, because it recorded the higher values of the remaining nutrients, i.e., N, P (ppm) and OM % in the soil postharvest, the highest values of fresh total yield (6.45 and 6.75 ton fed.-1) and bulb yield (5.62 and 5.78 ton fed.-1), highest values of blub quality (dry matter, total soluble solids, carbohydrates, protein, lipids and ash) percentages, the lowest values of nitrite and nitrate contents (mg kg-1 FW) as well as the lowest values of weight loss percentage of garlic blub during the storage period for 8 months in the 1st and 2nd seasons, respectively, would be suitable economical, productivity, quality, storability and health for garlic production in Egypt under experimental conditions.