Response of Some Physiological, Yield Characters and Seed Quality of Sunflower to Mineral, Organic and Biofertilizers

INTRODUCTION

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus, L.) is one of the most important annual crops of the world grown for edible oil. It received considerable attention in Egypt due to its short growing season and it can be grown well under the low fertility soils in the newly reclaimed areas. So, sunflower could be one of the main suggested oil crops to solve edibled vegetable oil shortage in the country. Seeds contain 24- 49% oil and cake contains 25- 35% of protein (Henen, 2011).

Nutrition is essential for plant life and yield, therefore mineral fertilization is a common agronomic practice that leads to improve productivity. Mineral fertilization includes several elements, however, nitrogen and phosphorus are among the macro- elements that used on fertilization (Abou- Khadrah et al., 2002, Mohamed, 2003).

The organic manure is known to improve the properties of soil by increasing the limited moisture holding capacity. In addition, it can change the chemical properties of soil through lowering pH and extensively their beneficial effects are known for long time. Application of organic matter provide many essential nutrients needed by crop plants. The increase in crop yield due to using of animal manure have been imperative many times as resulted mainly from the nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium or the combination of the three elements (Awad, 2004, Aowad and Mohamed, 2009).

In addition, biofertilization is one of the most important factors used to product free from mineral fertilizer that cause environmental pollution and high rates of it lead to decrease in the potential activity of micro flora and the mobility of organic matters. Hence, the attention has been focused on the researches of bio- fertilization to safe attention for the chemical fertilizers (Namvar et al., 2012). Also, bio- fertilizers play vital role for increasing the number of microorganisms and accelerate certain microbial process in the rhizosphere of inoculated soil plants can change the available form of nutrients into plants (Abou- Khadrah et al., 2002; Bassal, 2003; El- Temssah, 2008).

Inoculation of Biofertilizers significantly affected plant height and total chlorophyll content. Biofertilizers also, significantly increased yield attributers viz. stem diameter, weight of seeds, filled seed/capitulum and 100- seed weight (g), as well as seed weight, biological yield and oil content. The combined inoculation of phosphate dissolving bacteria (PSB) + vesicular abuser mycoeehyizea (VAM) + Azotobacter recorded higher values of these Parameters as compared to PSB + Azotobacter and VAM + Azotobacter inculcation (Patra et al., 2013).

 Therefore, the objective of this study is the evaluating the effect of mineral, organic and bio- nitrogen fertilizer treatment on some growth attributes yield and its component of sunflower crop. 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two field Experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm of Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt during the two consecutive summer seasons, 2011and 2012. The applied experimental desing was randomized complete blocks with four replicates. The treatments were

1. 10 kg N/fed.
2. 20 kg N/fed.
3. 30 kg N/fed.
4. 10 kg N/fed + 20 m³ compost.
5. 10 kg N/fed + 30 m³ compost.
6. 10 kg N/fed + 20 m² compost + Cerealine.
7. 10 kg N/fed + 20 m³ compost + Rizobacterin.
8. 20 kg N/fed + 20 m³ compost.
9. 20 kg N/fed + 30 m³ compost.

10. 20 kg N/fed + 20 m³ compost + Cerealine.

11. 20 kg N/fed + 20 m³ compost + Rizobacterin.

Analyzis of chemical and physical properties of the experimental soil site (0 to 30 cm depth) is shown in Table (1) and were carried out according to the methods reported by Page et al. (1982).

     Table (1): Physical and chemical properties of the experimental soil (average

                  of two seasons)

Organic manure (compost) at the two rates was added during soil preparation before planting in both seasons. Analysis of organic manure are presented in Table (2). Prior to sowing seed inoculation was carried out using the biofertilizer with (N2- fixing) i.e Cerealine and Rhizobacterine: An Inoculate for all crops containing of Azospuillum lipofeuim and Bacillus polymx produced by Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. Inoculation was performed by mixing seeds with the 400g/fed Cerealine and Rhizobacterin rates using Arabic gum (Arabic gum 5%).

 Nitrogen fertilizer was applied in the form of urea (46% N) at the rates of (10, 20 and 30 kg N/fed), after the thinning and before the first irrigation after planting. Phosphorus fertilizer was applied in the form of calcium super phosphate (15.5% P₂O₅) as treatments with land preparation.

Each plot consisted of 5 ridges 3m long and 60 cm apart with 30 cm space between plant. The size two rows were used for determing seed yield and its components.

The seed were sown in 7^th and 3^th of july of the two successive growing seasons 2011 and 2012. In the first and second seasons sunflower was preceded by wheat "Treticum aestivum, L.".

Hoeing was practiced before the first and second irrigation. The plant were thinned to secure one plant per hill after 10 days from planting other cultural practices for growing sunflower were conducted as recommended were, growth attributes agronomic characters, yield and its components oil% and oil yield/fed. were recorded from the two middle redges.

A- Growth characters

Five guarded plants, from each plot were taken at 30, 45 and 60 days after sowing (DAS). The following data were recorded for each sample.

1. Leaf area (LA)/plant/(dm²)
2. Dry matter accumulation (g/plant)
3. Days to full flowering
4. Plant height at harvest (cm)
5. Stem diameter (cm)
6. Head dimater (cm)

B- Yield and yield components

At harvest two guarded plants were taken from the 2^nd and 3^rd ridges in each plots to determine the following parameters:

1. 100- seed weight (g).
2. Seed yield (g/plant).
3. Seed yield (kg/fed).

D- Oil% and oil yield/fed

Oil percentage was determined using duplicat seed sample each of about two grains. Seed samples were dried in oven at 85 °C to 90°C for 24 hours. After weighting the seed samples were subjected to a constant pressure of 20000 pounds/square inch using a carve laboratory press which was described and used by A. O. A. C. (1980).

Approximately 70% of the oil in the seed was extracted. The crushed seeds were then placed in avail with solvent petroleum ether stopper and allowed to stand a dry at 33°C. Two changes of solvent were applied at 24 hours intervals. Then the seed residue was dried for one hour. Then oven dried for 24 hour at 85°C to 90°C and weighted. The loss in weight of seeds removed by pressing and solvent extraction and oil% was then calculated as follows. In sample was calculated and then content was determined as follows

               Weight of oil

Oil %=                            × 100

             Weight of seed

Oil yield (kg)/fed: was determined by multiplying seed yield (kg/fed) by seed percentage.

All data collected were subjected to standard statistical analysis according to Gomez and Gomez (1984) using the computer program (IRRISaT). The treatment were compared using. Duncan's multiple range test (L.S.D.).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A- Growth Characters:

The data of leaf area/plant and dry matter accumulation g/plant at the three sampling dates of sunflower as affected by bio- organic and mineral nitrogen are presented in Table (2).

The data indicated that a significant effect of all sampling dates in both seasons. The highest values of leaf area/plant and dry matter accumulation produced from 20 kg N/fed + 30 m³ compost in the two seasons. In addition effect on the dry matter/plant in the first simple for both seasons. Applying 10 kg N/fed, alone gave the lowest values for these characters. Also, the results revealed that nitrogen is necessary to more vegetative growth, hence the leaf area/plant and dry matter of sunflower continued to increase as the plant advanced in age until the last sampling data. These results may be due to the fact that nitrogen fertilizer is an essential element, which plays a prominent role in building newliving staff, increase in size of successive leaves which improved translocation of assimilates. The role of nitrogen fertilizer on structure of protein molecule, which necessary for biological activity and improvement of plant metabolism as well as growth of stem and leaves. In addition to compost intended to serve as soil amendment is applied in order to improve soil fertility (Namvar et al., 2010). Similar results were reported by Abou- Khadrah et al. (2002) and Aowas and Mohamed (2009).

Also, results presented in Table (3) show a significant response to bio- organic and mineral nitrogen fertilizer on (number of days to full flowering, plant height at harvest, stem and head diameter). Application of 20 kg N/fed + 20 m³ compost + Cerealine recorded the highest plant height and stem diameter, as well as application 20 kg N/fed + 30 m³ compost gave the highest values for days to full flowering and head diameter is in both seasons, while applying 10 kg N/fed, gave the lowest values of all the characters. Such increase in this characters due to apart of recommended mineral nitrogen + compost with biofertilizer synergistic effect on subsequent plant growth and cause bacterial development as Cerealine inoculants to gave biological N2- fixation, which improve plant growth and head diameter. Similar results were reported by Bassal (2003) and Dhanasekar and Dhandapani (2012).

B- Yield and its components:

Application of mixture of 20 kg N/fed + 30 m³ compost were significantly increased all these characters i.e. 100- seed weight, seed yield, g/plant and seed yield, kg/fed during both seasons in comparison with the 10 kg N/fed, Table (4). It could be concluded that the lowest values come from fertilization with 10 kg N/fed. These findings might be the attributed to more adsorption of nutrition with reflect more growth substance more cell division and enlargement more of tissues and organs and plant elongation. Also, the nitrogen and compost may be increase the synthesis of endogenous photohormones which plays in formation of a big active root system allow more nutrients uptake. The previous results agree, more or less, with the finding of Abou- Khadrah et al. (2002), Bassal (2003) and El- Sadek (2005).

D- Seed oil and oil yield/fed: 

Data presented in Table (4) showed that there were significant differences, due all these treatments. The highest oil % and oil yield/fed were produced by applying 20 kg N/fed + 30 m³ compost in both seasons while the lowest oil % obtained by 30 kg N/fed and oil yield/fed obtained by 10 kg N/fed respectively. This may be due to the increased of oil and oil yield. It was noted that the application of higher doses of nitrogen decrease oil yield/fed, the seed yield was increase to a level that may compensate for the reduction and oil content. Similar results were reported by Mohamed (2003) and zadah (2010).

Conclusion

High quantity and quality production of sunflower: Hehanthus annuus, L. cv. Sakha 53 were obtained at the applying of 20 kg N/fed + 30 m³ compost and 20 kg N/fed + 20 m³ compost + Cerealine. Sunflower "Helianthus annuus, L. cv. Sakha 53, can be grown under these treatments for their high seed yield and oil content under conditions of Sakha Agricultural Research Center or in other similar areas.