INFLUENCE OF INORGANIC NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS AND BIO-FERTILIZERS ON GROWTH, YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE OF CUCUMBER (Cucumis sativus L.)

Abstract

Two field experiments were conducted during 2010 and 2011 seasons at Sids Horticultural Researh Station, Beni Swif Governorate, Egypt to investigate the effect of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers and bio-fertilizers, namely, Biogen and phosphorine on cucumber growth characters (vine length, shoot fresh and dry weights and number of leaves/plant), yield components (fruit length, fruit girth, number of fruit/plant and fruit weight/plant), early yield as the sum of the first three picking of fruits (number of early fruits/plant, early yield, kg/plant and early yield, t/fed), yield (number of total fruit, total yield/plant and total yield t/fed) and N, P and K uptake of cucumber shoots. Results could be summerized as follows: - Nitrogen fertilizer at 90 kg/fed yielded the highest values of growth parameters, yield and its components, early yield and nutrient content These parameters, also responded to bio-fertilizers and inorganic phosphorus fertilizer at 9.8 kg P/fed, except fruit girth which did not affected by bio-fertilizer or phosphorus. - The combined of 70 kg N/fed + 6.8 kg P/fed + Biogen + Phosphorine treatment seemed to be the best treatment for all studied parameters, which means the posibality of saving about 20 kg N/fed and 3 kg P/ fed by combined nitrogen and phosphorus bio-fertilizers with inorganic sources.