EFFECT OF DIFFERENT NITROGEN FERTILIZER SOURCES AND LEVELS ON GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF QUINOA PLANT AS A NEW LEAFY VEGETABLE CROP IN EGYPT

Abstract

The field experiment was carried out during the two successive winter growing seasons of 2015 and 2016 at the Experimental Farm of Horticulture Department of the Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Shoubra El-Kheima, Cairo, Egypt. In order to determine the effect of three nitrogen fertilizer rates (40, 60 or 80 kg N/feddan) and two sources, i.e. ammonium sulphate [(NH4)2SO4 20.6% N-NH4+] and calcium nitrate [Ca (NO3)2 15.5% N-NO3-] on the vegetative growth, yield and leaf chemical compositions of two quinoa cultivars (Cica and Hualhuas), harvested after 40 days from sowing date as a new non-traditional leafy vegetable crop in Egypt. The treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with three replicates. The obtained results could be summarized as follows (1) Vegetative growth characters and yield of fresh leaves A. Effect of cultivars 1. Young plants of Cica cultivar gave higher significant values of all studied vegetative growth characters, i.e. plant length, number of leaves per plant, plant fresh and dry weights, fresh and dry weights of leaves per plant and yield, in both seasons. 2. Young plants of Haulhuas cultivar gave significantly higher value of leaf area in both growing seasons. B. Effect of nitrogen rates of the different nitrogen sources 1. The application of 80 kg N/feddan of calcium nitrate recorded the highest significant values of plant length in both growing seasons. 2. Number of leaves/plant showed insignificant differences among nitrogen treatments in both seasons. 3. Application of 80 kg N/feddan of calcium nitrate or ammonium sulfate recorded the highest values of leaf area, plant fresh and dry weights and fresh and dry weights of leaves/plant compared to the other nitrogen treatments, in both growing seasons, without significant differences between them.