RESPONSE OF LEEK PLANTS TO ORGANIC AND BIOFERTILIZERS AS WELL AS SULPHUR SPRAYING IN COMPLETE OR PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF MINERAL FERTILIZATION AND NUTRITIVE VALUES

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out on leek (Allium porrum L.) plants cv. Bleustar to study the effect of organic manure fertilizer (combination of cattle 3 tons / fed. and chicken manure 1.5 tons/fed at 1:1 ratio), the recommended rate of mineral fertilizers (90 N + 60 P2O5 + 50 K2O / fed.), mixture of organic manure and mineral fertilizer(½ OR + ½ MN)or one and half dose of organic manure and uninoculation or inoculation seedling with microbein or nitrobein as well as spraying plants with sulphur at the rate of 0, 0.5 and 1.0 g/l every 10 days intervals (36 treatments) on vegetative growth characters, total yield, pseudostems characters and nutritive values of pseudostem. Application the mixture of organic manure and mineral fertilizers (½ OR + ½ MN) led to obtain the highest values of plant fresh weight, number and fresh weight of leaves per plant, fresh weight and diameter of pseudostem and total yield in both seasons. Inoculation plants with microbein followed by nitrobein led to obtain the highest values of vegetative growth characters in both seasons, except number of leaves and length of pseudostem in which microbein or nitrobein led to obtain the highest values in the first and second seasons, respectively as comparing with uninoculation treatments. Spraying leek plants with sulphur at the rate of 0.5 g/l followed by 1 g/l caused the highest values of vegetative growth characters as comparing with non spraying ones. The highest total yield were obtained with application of one and half dose of organic manure (1½ OR) or the mixture of organic manure and mineral fertilizers (½ MN + ½ OR), inoculation with microbein and spraying plants with sulphur at the rate of 0.5 g/l in both seasons. The highest fresh weight of pseudostem were obtained with application the mixture of organic manure and mineral fertilizer with inoculation plants with microbein or nitrobein in the first and second seasons, respectively and spraying sulphur at the rate of 0.5 g/l. Regarding to nutritive values of pseudostem, the highest values of dry matter and total carbohydrates were obtained with application organic manure, inoculation plants with nitrobein and spraying with sulphur at the rate of 0.5 g/l. The highest volatile oil and sulphur percentage were obtained with applying the mixture of organic manure and mineral fertilizer or one and half dose of organic manure and inoculation with microbein or nitrobein with spraying sulphur at the rate of 1.0 g/l. The highest protein percentage and nitrate accumulation were obtained with the application mineral fertilizer, inoculation plants with nitrobein and spraying with sulphur at the rate of 1.0 g/l. The lowest nitrate accumulation was obtained with applying organic manure or (½ MN + ½ OR), without inoculation or inoculation with nitrobein but without spraying sulphur or spraying at the rate of 0.5 g/l. The highest values of essential, non-essential, total and individual amino acids were recorded by the plants supplied with the recommended dose of NPK when compared with those supplied with the different dose of organic fertilizer. Moreover, high values of these amino acids were obtained but the plants treated with sulphur, nitrobein and microbein either alone or combination when compared with its corresponding control untreated plants.