Revitalizing Fertility of Nutrient-Deficient Virgin Sandy Soil Using Leguminous Biocompost Boosts Phaseolus vulgaris Performance

Abstract

During the 2019 and 2020 seasons, nutrient-deficient virgin sandy soil was examined along with the investigation of the response of Phaseolus vulgaris plants to soil application with biocompost in integration with chemical fertilizers applied to soil and plants. Four treatments (100% of the recommended NPK fertilizer dose (control), 75% NPK applied to soil + 25% foliar spray, 75% NPK applied to soil + 25% foliar spray + leguminous compost (CL), and 75% NPK applied to soil + 25% foliar spray + CL containing Bacillus subtilis (biocompost; CLB)) were applied in a randomized complete block design. The 75% NPK applied to soil + 25% foliar spray + CLB was the best treatment, which exceeded other treatments in improving soil fertility and plant performance. It noticeably improved soil physicochemical properties, including available nutrients, activities of various soil enzymes (cellulase, invertase, urease, and catalase), soil cation exchange capacity, organic carbon content, and pH, as well as plant growth and productivity, and plant physiobiochemistry, including nutrients and water contents, and various antioxidant activities. The results of the 2020 season significantly outperformed those of the 2019 season, indicating the positive effects of biofertilizers as a strategy to combine soil supplementation with NPK fertilizers and allocate a portion of NPK fertilizers for foliar spraying of plants in nutrient-deficient sandy soils.

Soil Fertility and its Relationship to Soil Mineralogy of some Areas in Southwest Sinai, Egypt

“…According to Karathanasis (1985), the effect of soil mineralogical composition on soil fertility and productivity is: 1) it influences chemical reactions regulating nutrient availability and uptake and 2) it affects physical properties controlling soil moisture balance and physical conditions of the soil. It is important to appropriately combine inorganic with organic fertilizers to avoid the undesirable environmental effects and maximize the overall income because the application of NPK fertilizers only was not effective in maintaining soil fertility (Abdelfattah et al, 2021). The present study towards exploration of the relationship between clay minerals and soil fertility.…”

Small-Sized Nanophosphorus Has a Positive Impact on the Performance of Fenugreek Plants under Soil-Water Deficit Stress: A Case Study under Field Conditions

“…Fenugreek, like any other crop, is negatively affected throughout its life cycle upon exposure to different environmental stresses [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. The stresses affecting different crops include salinity [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], cadmium stress [ 22 ], nutrient deficiency [ 23 ], high carbonate content [ 24 , 25 ], and drought [ 26 ]. Availability of irrigation water is the most limiting factor for agricultural sustainability and food security worldwide, especially in dry regions, including Egypt.…”

“…Agriculture requires more than 80% of available water resources. Minimizing water inputs and maximizing crop productivity by adopting more efficient irrigation scheduling strategies is of vital importance and a major challenge under dI conditions [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…It causes negative impacts on growth and yield, plant water status and water relations, membrane integrity and stability, pigment content, and photosynthetic activity. It also negatively affects plant phosphorus (P) content and anatomical features [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. However, the water use efficiency (iWUE) improves under dI stress [ 26 ].…”

“…However, the water use efficiency (iWUE) improves under dI stress [ 26 ]. Other positive changes under dI stress include osmo-regulatory adaptation and the accumulation of antioxidants and trigonelline [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Fenugreek plant growth and productivity decrease dramatically with increasing dI [ 31 ].…”