Magnesium and phosphorien applications improve the efficiency of growth and productivity of squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) plants grown on a sandy calcareous soil

Research Article

Magnesium and phosphorien applications improve the efficiency of growth and productivity of squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) plants grown on a sandy calcareous soil

Ragab S. Taha

Corresponding Author : Ragab S. Taha

Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, 63514 Fayoum, Egypt.

Email ID : rst00@fayoum.edu.eg

Received : 2015-10-04 Accepted : 2016-01-02 Published : 2016-01-02

Abstract : Two field experiments were carried out to study the effects of soil inoculation with phosphorien-containing phosphate-dissolving bacteria (PDB) and/or magnesium (Mg) foliar application at the rates of 0, 0.5 and 1 mM on the growth, some chemical constituents and fruit yield and its quality of squash (Cucurbita pepo L) grown on a sandy calcareous soil. The experiment were performed in a completely randomized blocks design with six treatments, each one with four replicates. The results indicated that PDB and/or Mg significantly increased stem length, canopy dry weight plant1, number of leaves plant1, stem length, canopy dry weight plant1, number of leaves plant1, leaf area leaf1, leaf area plant1, leaf contents of pigments, free proline, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca) and the ratio of Ca/Na, while leaf Na content was reduced. The application of PDB and/or Mg also increased fruit yield and its components (i.e., number of fruits plant1, fruit weight plant1 and fruit yield fed1). It has been concluded that the applications of Mg and PDB have pronounced a positive reflection on the growth, fruit yield and its components of squash plants grown on sandy calcareous soil. PDB and Mg, therefore, have the potential to be used as a soil inoculation and foliar application, respectively for squash and may for various crops to overcome the adverse effects of the newly-reclaimed sandy calcareous soils.

Keywords : Squash, (Cucurbita pepo L), Bio-fertilizer, Magnesium foliar application, growth, yield, chemical constituents

Citation : Ragab S. Taha et al (2016). Magnesium and phosphorien applications improve the efficiency of growth and productivity of squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) plants grown on a sandy calcareous soil. J. of Advanced Botany and Zoology, V4I101. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.1000061

Copyright : © 2016 Ragab S. Taha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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