Improvement of Sandy Soil Fertility by Appling some Organic Amendments and Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria and their Reflection on Crop Productivity

Abstract

There have been several breakthroughs in recent years aimed at bettering soil conditions by enhancing soil properties that boost agricultural output. So, two field experiments were carried out at the farm of the Isamailia Agriculture Research Station Isamailia Governorate, Egypt, during two successive seasons (2021 and 2022) to study the effect of some soil organic amendments potassium humate (K-H) and calcium humate (Ca-H) at 30 L fed-1, in combined with different rates of biochar (BC) (2, 4 and 6 %) with inoculation with plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) namely (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (B.amy), Bacillus subtilis (B.sub) on wheat and peanut crops productivity. Results indicated a slight decrease in soil pH with all treatments in both seasons but showed some increases in electric conductivity (E.C) and organic matter (O.M%) compared to the control. Concerning available N, P and K, they were increased in wheat and peanut when applying 2% biochar plus K- humate (K-H) with mixed bacteria as compared with applied calcium humate (Ca-H) with mixed bacteria. Moreover, soil amendments inoculation with mixed bacteria increased the dehydrogenase activity and total count of bacteria. Application of K-H plus 2% of biochar recorded the highest value of yield components as compared to other treatments. Similar results were recorded with the macronutrients in straw and grain or seeds of wheat and peanut crops, respectively, as well as improved the photosynthetic pigments and carotenoids contents. The results proved that the combination of humic materials (either K-H or Ca-H) with biochar (2%) and mixed bacteria increased soil fertility in sandy soil and consequently on the growth of wheat and peanut plants productivity.