IMPACTS OF COMPOST, BIOFERTILIZER AND/OR SOME ANTIOXIDANT TREATMENTS ON GLADIOLUS (GLADIOLUS GRANDIFLORAS) B. Corms and cormels production and some chemical constituents

Abstract

Gladiolus is commercially propagated by its underground structure for production of flowers and corms as well as cormels. A field experiment was conducted during two successive seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 to investigate the effects of compost as an organic fertilizer (0, 5, 10 and 15 ton/fed) and Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) at 50 ml/plant and/or some antioxidant treatments (salicylic and ascorbic acids) on corm and cormels production and chemical constituents of Gladiolus grandiflorus var. Jester plants. The obtained results indicated that corm diameter (cm), number of new cormels/plant, dry weight of corm and cormels (g), as well as, chemical constituents including chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids in the fresh leaves and percentages of N, P and K in the dry leaves were gradually increased by increasing levels of compost with significant differences. The highest corm diameter (5.27 cm) was produced by plants received compost at 15 ton/fed in combination with Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) plus salicylic acid plus vitamin C while least size (2.5 cm) of corm was observed in control plants. All six treatments of Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) at 50 ml/plant and/or some antioxidant (salicylic and ascorbic acids) treatments each at 50 ppm significantly increased corms and cormels production and the content of chemical constituents in comparison with control treatments. Treatments of Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) plus salicylic acid plus ascorbic acid (vit. C) was more effective than other treatments for corm and cormels production, as well as, photosynthetic pigments content (mg/g. F.W.) and the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in most cases. The interaction between compost, Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) and/or some antioxidant (salicylic and ascorbic acids) treatments were significant for all previous characters. In some cases, the highest values of corms and cormels production were achieved by compost (15 ton/fed) in combination with Microbein biofertilizer (M.B.) plus salicylic acid plus ascorbic acid (vit. C) followed by 15 ton/fed compost with M.B. + vit. C then 10 ton/fed compost with M.B. + salicylic acid + vit. C which recorded the highest contents of pigments and elements of N, P and K.

Ivy Geranium (Pelargonium peltatum (L.) L’Hér.) Plant Growth and Flowering as Affected by Mineral or Biofertilizer with or without Compost Amendment

“…The current finding proved that geranium plant growth, flowering attributes, ion percentage, and chlorophyll concentration significantly increased by application of either biofertilizer or chemical fertilizer with or without compost addition. These findings are in line with earlier studies that indicate the effects of the application of chemical fertilizer [28,29], compost [14,15,17], and biofertilizers [7,14].…”

“…Attia et al [44] also showed that the use of different biofertilizers planted with Polianthes tuberosa plants led to an improvement in the characteristics of flowering growth, represented by the number of flowers per inflorescence, the length of the inflorescence, the dry weight of the inflorescence, and the diameter of the flower. Hassan and Abd El-Azeim [14] also found that the application of biofertilizers resulted in a significant increase in the characteristics of inflorescence length, inflorescence wet and dry weight, number of flowers/inflorescence, and flower diameter of Gladiolus plants. These encouraging effects may result from increasing nutrient availability [45]; accelerating cell expansion and division via the synthesis and action of auxin, cytokinin (CK), and gibberellin (GA) [46]; and accelerating atmospheric N fixation, which is required for nucleic acid, protein, and chlorophyll synthesis along with enhancement of the photosynthetic rate and plant biomass accumulation and flowering attributes [47].…”

“…Typically, 60-90% of whole applied fertilizers are mislaid, with only the remaining part (10-40%) being absorbed by plants. Hence, in order to fulfill the growing demand and stop overusing chemical resources, new sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions based on organic and biofertilizer amendments are needed [7,14,15].…”

“…Various agro-waste has long been deliberated as being of little value and is typically discarded. Research has shown, however, the practicability of utilizing this agro-waste, after composting, as a growing substrate for vegetables and ornamental plants for its nutrient-rich fertilization as a soil amendment [14,15,17]. The addition of compost to the soil has valuable impacts on plant establishment and productivity via increasing soil fertility and microbial activities [7,9].…”

“…Compost represents an important source of micro-and macro-nutrients [18,19] and maintains soil water-and nutrient-retention capacity [15]. Several kinds of research have shown that the usage of biofertilizers enhanced plant growth, flowering attributes, and productivity [14,15,17,19].…”