A Field experiment was carried out on broccoli (Broccoli oleraceae L. var. Italica cv. Red acare), Brassicaceae family, in Faculty of Agriculture, El-Mansoura University, Egypt during 2010 season to study the effect of both farmyard manure and Agrisbone (Commercial fertilizer) as biofertilizer source and N fertilizer rates on vegetative growth, yield and flower spear quality of broccoli plants grown on alluvial soils. Treatments were represented all combination of FYM rates (control and 20 m3 fad-1) and N fertilizer rates (control, 50,100 and 150 kg fad-1 as ammonium sulphate, (20.5 % N) in presence of Agrisbone (with and without addition) in split split plot design with three replicates.
The obtained results could be summarized as follows:
- Statistical analysis revealed that the highest mean values of leaves number, and branches number of broccoli plants were obtained from 150 kg fad-1 mineral treatment jointly with inoculated plants in absence of FYM, while the highest mean values of fresh and dry weight were produced from the inoculated plants with 100 N kg fad-1 under FYM treatment. On the other hand, the lowest mean values of aforementioned characteristics obtained from untreated broccoli plants.
- Data indicated that the maximum mean values of height and diameter spear flower produced from plants received FYM and Agrispone combined with 100 N kgfad-1 as compared to the other treatments.
- The broccoli plants that fertilized with FYM + Agrispone + 100 N kgfad-1 gave the highest increments in the two stages of spear flower broccoli yield; 1st and 2nd cuts. Meanwhile, unfertilized broccoli plants gave the lowest mean values of aforementioned traits in the two stages; 1st and 2nd cuts, respectively.