TREATMENT OF SNAP BEAN PLANTS GROWN UNDER SANDY SOIL CONDITIONS WITH SOME NATURAL MATERIALS AND ITS RELATION TO GROWTH, YIELD AND POD QUALITY

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out during the fall seasons of 2012 and 2013 at the Agriculture Research Farm, El-Kassasien Hort. Res. Station, Ismalia Governorate, Egypt, and storage Lab., Hort. Dept., Fac. of Agric., Zagazig University, to study the effect of seed and soil inoculation (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, soil yeast) as well as foliar application with some natural materials (pigeon manure tea, compost tea, humic acid and effective microorganisms) on growth, photosynthetic pigments, yield and its components as well as chemical constituents of snap bean pods (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv. Paulista. It aimed also to study the effect of the abovementioned treatments on snap bean pods storability during cold storage at 7 oC and 90-95% RH in different periods, i.e., 7, 14,21 and 28 days. Results show that there were significant increases in vegetative growth characters, photosynthetic pigments, yield and it's components as well as some chemical constituents of pods as aresult of snap bean seeds inoculation with AMF plus application with soil yeast around root zone by using hand sprayer as compared to other treatments. Spraying snap bean plants with pigeon manure tea at 10g/L recorded maximum values of vegetative growth characters, photosynthetic pigments, yield and it's components as well as chemical constituents of pods followed by humic acid at 3cm3/L as compared to the control. The interaction treatment between dual inoculation with AMF and soil yeast and foliar spray with pigeon manure tea gave the highest values of vegetative growth characters, photosynthetic pigments, yield and it's components as well as chemical constituents of pods followed by the interaction treatment between dual inoculation with AMF and soil yeast and foliar spray with humic acid. Generally, quality parameters of snap bean pods during cold storage at 7 oC and 90-95 RH indicate that weight loss was increased, while dry matter, total carbohydrates and crude protein percentage in snap bean pods were decreased as the storage period prolonged up to 28 days from the beginning of storage period. Green pods obtained from plants treating by dual inoculation with AMF and soil yeast and sprayed with pigeon manure tea or humic acid and stored at 7 oC and 90-95 RH for 21 days was the best interaction treatment recorded the lowest values of weight loss and the best values of dry matter, total carbohydrates and crude protein percentage.