Effect of Mineral and Biofertilizer on the Yield and Constituents of Some Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Grown on Sandy Soil

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of mineral, organic and bio-fertilizers on the yield and constituents of fennel and coriander plants in respect to both yield and aromo content and composition. A field experiment was conducted on sandy soil at the farm of the Horticultural Research Station, South EI-Tahrir province to study the influence of mineral, organic and bio-fertilizers on vegetative growth, fruits yield, seed index, herb dry weight, nutrients content, uptake and oil yield and quality of fennel and coriander plants.

Mineral fertilizer were applied to the soil either alone or together • with the studied organic fertilizer (FYM) and bio-fertilizers N,-fixers and P-dissolving bacteria. Nitrogen fertilizer was added to the soil as ammonium sulphate (20.6 %N) at rate of 0, 150 and 300 kg Fed'. The applied nitrogen fertilizer were devided into three doses, the first dose added during soil management, the second and third doses were added after one and two month from planting respectively.

Phosphorus fertilizer as superphosphate (15.5 % P0,) at rate of 300 kg/feddan and potassium fertilizer was added as potassium sulphate (48% KO) at rate of 150 kg/feddan.

Organic fertilizer collected from the animal production farm of • Cattle's (FYM) were applied to soil either alone or in combination with

studied mineral fertilizer and bio-fertilizers. FYM at rates of 0, 15 and

30 m'Fed' was added during soil preparation before planting.

The bio-fertilizers used were N-fixers and P-dissolving bacteria. The coriander and fennel seeds were inoculated with the appropriate