PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON NUTRITION OF PEPPER PLANT

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Two field experiments were carried out during two success1ve summer seasons of 1999 and 2000 to study the effect of different organic manure sources, i.e. cattle, poultry. sheep, horse and town refuse or either of both biofertilizers, i.e. rhizobacterien or microbien combined with I 00% or 50% of the recommended NPK on the growth, chemical composition as well as fruit yield and its quality of sweet pepper plants. Mineral fertilization using either I 00% or 50% of the recommended dose from NPK did not show any significant differences on plant growth characters of different plant organs, physical characters of fruits, fruit weight, early yield as well as chemical composition of various plant organs and fruits, except number of fruits/plant and total yield as well as leaf and fruit nitrate concentrations which resulted higher significant values when plants fertilized with the 100% of NPK dose as compared \Vith those supplied with 50% NPK level. The combination between the 50% of the recommended NPK with any organic manures used, seems to increase plant growth characters of the different plant organs, fruit yield and its components as well as chemical composition (N, P, K, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu and total sugars concentrations) of the different plant organs and fruits, with some exceptions of fruit physical characters as well as nitrate, Ni, Cd and Pb concentrations which did not significantly affect as compared with control plants which only supplied with 100% of the recommended NPK. However, fruits of sheep-treated plants in the 2nd picking or poultry-treated ones of the 4th picking in combination with 50% NPK seemed to reduce nitrate concentration in fruits, while town refuse increased nitrate and Ni concentrations in both pickings as compared with control treatment which only supplied with 100% NPK. Inoculation of sweet pepper seedlings with rhizobacterien or microbien increased most of the studied plant growth characters of different tested organs as well as chemical composition (N, P, K, Mg, Mn, Zn and Cu concentrations) of different plant organs as well as in fruits, with some exceptions of physical and chemical characteristics of fruits, total yield as well as Ni, nitrate and total sugars concentrations which did not significantly affect as compared with control treatment which only supplied with I 00% NPK level. However, rhizobacterien treatment increased total fruit yield as well as accumulated less values of Pb and Cd concentrations m leaves and fruits when compared witb microbien treatment.