Effect of adding alginate -restricted bacterial inoculants to sandy soil as a partial substitute for mineral fertilization on growth, quality and yield of tomato plants

Abuo El-Kasem, S.A.A.; Darwesh, O.M.; Matter, I.A.

doi:10.21608/svuijas.2024.280723.1357

Effect of adding alginate -restricted bacterial inoculants to sandy soil as a partial substitute for mineral fertilization on growth, quality and yield of tomato plants

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Vegetable Research Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, 12619 Giza, Egypt

² Agricultural Microbiology Department, National Research Centre, 33 EL-Buhouth St., Dokki, 12622 Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/svuijas.2024.280723.1357

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted over the 2022 and 2023 seasons at the Agricultural Research Station in El-Arish, North Sinai Governorate, Egypt. The aim was to assess the impact of two bacterial strains, Azotobacter chroococcum (AZ.) and Bacillus subtilis (Bac.), in encapsulated or liquid forms, alongside varying levels of N/P mineral fertilization, on tomato plant traits. Results indicate significant effects of bio-inoculation treatments on vegetative growth, physical fruit and yield characteristics, as well as chemical properties of fruits (Vitamin C, TSS, firmness, and Dry Matter%). The combination of Bacillus and Azotobacter encapsulated in calcium alginate showed superior performance, followed by the same mixed treatment in liquid form across all studied traits in both seasons, with some traits showing no significant differences between them. Under N/P stresses of 75% or 50%, bacterial treatments in combination with both application methods (liquid or encapsulated alginate) exhibited statistically equivalent or increased values in most traits compared to corresponding control treatments. Notably, alginate-encapsulated bacterial mix [(Bac.+AZ.)-Caps.] with 75% N/P showed significant maximum effects compared to untreated plants, with increases of up to 66.5% for vegetative traits, 32.4% for physical fruit and yield traits, 16.1% for chemical fruit traits, 11.8% for leaf N, P, and K, and 11.3% for fruit N, P, and K, followed by the liquid form of bacterial mix combined with 75% N/P. Additionally, a highly significant positive correlation between total microbial activity and dehydrogenase activity was observed at day 30. However, this correlation was no longer statistically significant at days 60 and 90.

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