Effect of Soil Amendments on Growth, Seed Yield and NPK Content of Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) Grown in Clayey Soil

摘要

The application of bio-fertilizers and organic fertilizer is considered a promising alternative for mineral fertilizers to decrease the production costs and environmental pollution with good yield. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the benefits of rice straw compost, humic acid and effective microorganism alone or in combination as an alternative to mineral-N fertilizer on the growth, foliar NPK content and yield of the local variety of bottle gourd. The study was carried out at Barramoon experimental farm, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, during the two summer seasons of 2012 and 2013. The experiment consisted of eight treatments of soil amendments and NPK fertilizers arranged in a complete randomized blocks design with three replicates. The study's treatments had significant effects on all studied traits in both seasons. The lowest values of these traits were recorded with the 75% recommended dose of NPK fertilizers with humic acid treatment. Whereas, the treatment of 75% recommended dose ofNPK fertilizers in combination with rice straw compost, humic acid and effective microorganism had the highest values of foliage dry weight, number of leaves, stem length and number of fruits per plant as well as seeds weight per fruit, 100 seed weightand seed yield per plant and per hectare. So, this treatment could be recommended as an alternative method for bottle gourd fertilization. It might give the chance for increasing NPK-use efficiency and producing satisfactory and good seed yield with keeping the health and safety of human and environment.