Amending clayey and sandy soils with nano - bio phosphorous for regulating tomato growth, biochemical, and physiological characteristics

Abstract

Phosphorus is a critical nutrient that significantly enhances tomato production, so maintaining an adequate level of phosphorus plays an essential role in enhancing the growth of tomato by being present in the soil. This study assessed the impact of soil texture and phosphorus content on tomato plant properties using a factorial, complete, randomized design with four replications. Treatments included clayey and sandy soils with varying phosphorus sources: non-phosphorus (P0), calcium phosphate (CaP1 and CaP2), and nano-hydroxyapatite (PN1 and PN2), where 1 indicates a concentration of 0.12 g and 2 indicates a concentration of 0.23 g per 5-kilogram pot of fertilizer. Results indicated that treatments significantly influenced yield parameters such as average fruit weight, juice content, antioxidant activity, and fruit volume. In the clayey soil, CaP2 treatment had a superior effect on yield, average fruit weight, and shoot fresh weight. In comparison with sandy conditions, CaP2 produced a 50% increase in fruit number, 29% increase in average fruit weight, and 91% increase in fruit yield. The treatments then impacted the shoot fresh weight and root length, while the phosphorus concentration appeared to be more dependent on soil type than on phosphorus sources. Similar to the CaP1 and CaP2 treatments, the PN1 treatment in clay soil also resulted in the highest fresh and dry weights of tomato shoots when compared with the control group. Generally, the findings from this study suggest that the use of CaP2 can serve as a reliable method to improve the growth, yield, and fruit quality of tomatoes, especially in clayey soil environments. However, nano-based phosphorous sources need to be tested more to see if they can improve tomato performance in a range of soil conditions. Also, further research should look into the long-term effects of phosphorous interventions on soil health and sustainability. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-76389-8.