XPONENTIAL population growth and soaring fertilizer prices are among the main challenges threating food security worldwide. Probably, substituting chemical inputs (partially or completely) with organic and/or bio-alternatives are the keys to achieve sustainable development. Thus, a field experiment was conducted for two successive seasons in a randomized block design to achieve this goal, comprising the following treatments: 100% mineral P and K fertilizers (T 1 , control), 10 g potassium humate (KH) kg -1 (T 2 ), 10 g humic acid (HA) kg -1 (T 3 ) and 10 g kg -1 fulvic acid (FA) (T 4 ). For treatments from T 2 to T 4 , supplementary doses of chemical fertilizers were added to satisfy wheat needs for P and K. Also, a combined treatment of 50% biogas (added on nitrogen bases) plus supplementary PK doses in the form of (i) rock phosphate and feldspars + biofertilizers (Bacillus megatherium and Bacillus circulans) (T 5 ) or (ii) chemical P and K fertilizers were included (T 6 ). All plots were planted with wheat and received 20% of the recommended N requirements via N 2 -fixation with Bacillus polymyxa while the other 80% was accomplished as ammonium nitrate (after considering the added N in organic additives). Key findings indicate that application of biogas+ supplementary chemical PK fertilizers (T 6 ) recorded the highest increases in P and K available contents in soil. This in turn significantly raised their concentrations within different plant parts and boosted straw and grain yields during the two seasons of study. Application of 100% mineral PK (T 1 ) recorded significantly lower values in all abovementioned parameters versus T 6 . Nevertheless, these two treatments (T 1 and T 6 ) recorded comparable increases in 1000-grain weight, plant height, spike lengths and number of grains per spike. Application of KH, HA and FA as partial substitutes for chemical fertilizers (T 2 -T 4 ) lessened significantly nutrient bioavailability and their contents within wheat parts; as a result, plant growth and yield components declined significantly. The least values were recorded for the treatment that received biogas+ rock phosphate and feldspar + biofertilizers (T 5 ). Overall, straw and grain yields of wheat plants were correlated significantly with P and K contents in both shoots and grains. In conclusion, the combination between biogas and chemical fertilizers seemed to be the optimum selection to satisfy wheat needs for nutrients; hence increase wheat productivity under arid conditions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.