Effect of Biofertilization on Reducing Chemical Fertilizers, Vegetative Growth, Nutritional Status, Yield and Fruit Quality of Arabi Pomegranate

This study was carried out during 2004 and 2005 seasons on eight years old Arabi pomegranate trees grown in sandy soil to investigate the influence of microbial biofertilization on tree growth, yield, fruit quality and leaf minerals content. Microbial inoculum (Azotobacter spp. Azospirillum spp. and Bacillus megatherium which found in (Biogein, Nitrobine, phosphorein), in addition, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were used to reduce the recommended dose of nitrogenous and phosphoric fertilizers of the trees. The treatments were 100 % of recommended mineral fertilizers dose / tree without microbial biofertilization (control ) and 100% ( T1 ), 75 % ( T2 ), 50% (T3 ) and 25% ( T4 ) of recommended mineral fertilizers dose plus microbial fertilizers. Data revealed that shoot length, leaf area, leaf dry weight and leaf chlorophyll of treated trees with microbial fertilization were significantly increased compared with uninoculated control trees. Also, leaf total carbohydrates content recorded significant increases compared with the uninoculated control. All microbial fertilization treatments markedly affected nutritional status of Arabi pomegranate trees, leaf concentrations of N, P, Ca, Fe and Zn were significantly increased. While, Mg and Mn concentrations were consistently higher without significant difference in comparison with