EFFECT OF FOLIAR NUTRITION AND PHOSPHOROUS SOLUBILIZING BACTERIA ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF SUGAR BEET (Beta vulgaris)

Abstract

Sugar beet is an important source for sugar production. In Egypt it became an important crop for sugar production, especially it can be grown in northern regions of the country in the new reclaimed areas. The aim was to decrease the gap between sugar production and sugar consumption, so we try to increase the productivity of sugar crops especially sugar beet in the newly reclaimed land that need to providation of fertilization by biofertilizers and decrease mineral rates of fe1iilization and protect the environment of pollution. Soil and irrigation water are two limiting factors to cultivae the two crops per year on the same year. Thus, it is favorable to choose crop of low water requirement and short season so sugar beet is preferable to satisfy these requirements. In fact, it gave a national desire for increasing sugar production to meet the increasing demand for sugar consumption, Maksoud (2009). Phosphorous is the second major fertilizer after nitrogen and is added to the soil mainly as superphosphate. Adding P as super phosphate is precipitated rapidly to insoluble phosphate form. P ions in soil are quite immobile element and most of the fertilizer phosphate applied is unavailable for crop uptake. Moreover, plant roots must expand considerable energy for adequate phosphate absorption in soil. Previous work indicated that availability of P to plants were found to be improved by adding organic matter to the soil beside the role of active growing root in exuding proteins or organic substances that act in dissolving hardly soluble phosphate form . Under Egyptian conditions, agreat attention is being devoted at The National Research Center to reduced the high rates of mineral fertilizers by using biofertilizers with specific bacteria (PSB).Bio-fertilization for more crops has became in the last few years a positive alternative to chemical fertilizers . Application of biofertilizers as supplementary amendments to crops reduce pollution happened concerning both soil and underground water. Soil microorganisms which are known as phosphate soluble bacteria (PSB) plays a fundamental role in converting the fixed form to soluble one useful for plants. The microbial break-down of organic soil matter is associated with an increased C02 production which possibility increases as the solubility of soil phosphate. The biofertilizer "Phosphorine" is a commercial product by the . general Authority of Agriculture Fund and Equalization, contains an active strain of (PSB), Moustafa (2009). Nutrition are essential for plant life and yield. Mineral fertilization includes several elements such as phosphorous , nitrogen and potassium as a macro elements used in fertilization , also micronutritions plays more effective role in plant life and plant formation.

This investigation was carried out to study the effect of Bio-fertilizer (Phosphorine), foliar nutritions (Chitocare, Potassien) and phosphorous fertilization on sugar beet productivity.