RESPONSE OF WILLIAMS BANANA PLANTS TO SOME N,P,K, AND BIO-FERTILIZERS FERTIGATION IN SANDY SOIL

Abstract

This investigation was carried out during 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 seasons on the first and second ratoons of Williams banana grown in sandy soil to study the effect of three NPK rates (600,100,800 & 400,75,600 & 300,50,400 N, P2O5, K2O actual g/plant/year). Two types of biofertilizers microbien“N- fixation bacteria contained Azotobacter + phosphorus dissolving bacteria Bacillus brevis” and Potaplus”Potassuim dissolving bacteria Bacillus circulans” were divided to four different rate levels of biofertilizers (0, 25, 50 and 75 ml/plant) added into 5 equal doses as a liquid suspension during the first week of April to August. Results revealed that the highest NPK rates (600,100,800 N, P2O5, K2O actual g/plant respectively) recorded the greatest vegetative growth (pseudostem highest and circumference as well as assimilation area), bunch weight and yield compared to other rates of fertilization, also it decreased the period to bunch shooting and fruit harvesting. Add biofertilizer led to an improvement in both vegetative growth and productivity . The rate of increase in vegetative growth represented by the length of the pesudostem to 18.75% and the pesudostem circumference to 16.65% and the assimilation area of the plant 17.30% compared to NPK alone. This may be due to the increase in leaf N and K content. Plants received NPK at 400,75 and 600 in addition to 75 cm/plant/year microben biofertilizer gave similar growth and productivity those reseved the higher NPK dose(600,100,800) It was also noted that the addition of enriched biofertilizer microben given the highest bunch weight and productivity than the addition of enriched biofertilizer potaplus during the seasonal study.