Effect of Compost Additives and Application Time of Phosphorus in different Methods on ‎Growth‏,‏‎ Productivity and Quality of Peanut in Sandy Soils

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Soil improvement & conservation research department, soils, water & Environment research institute, ARC, Giza, Egypt.

2 Soil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt

3 Soil improvement & conservation research department, soils, water & environment research institute, ARC, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

There are many factors playing major role in use efficiency of phosphatic fertilizers, which varies ‎from soil to another. Therefore, this study aims mainly to evaluate the effect of some trails i.e. ‎compost additives and P application times in different methods in sandy soil as well as its effect ‎on growth, productivity and quality of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). This study was carried out ‎as field experiment in sandy soil at South Al-Tahrir Sector, Al-Behaira Governorate, Egypt ‎during two successive growing summer seasons. The experiment was laid out in a split plot ‎design with three replicates. Four rates of compost i.e. (C1) 0, (C2) 4.76 (C3) 9.52 and (C4) ‎‎14.28 ton ha-1 were arranged in the main plots, while the four treatments of phosphorus were ‎randomly distributed in the sub plots.‎
With all the studied treatments of compost and P, the studied growth parameters i.e. ‎plant height (cm), number of branches per plant, and dry matter weights of straw and leaves were ‎higher in the second growth season than those of first one. Data obtained from our experiments ‎showed that growth parameters increased significantly with the increasing rates of compost ‎application as well as with P applications in three doses (P4). Foliar application of P at 70-80 ‎days of planting (P3) resulted in more increases in the determined growth parameters than those ‎found with other treatments. Similar effect was found with peanut yields of pods and seeds and ‎seeds contents of N, P and K as well as its content of protein and oil. ‎

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