Influence of Soil Application with Vermicompost and Effective Microorganisms on The Productivity and Fruit Quality of Picual Olives

Abstract

Using vermicompost as organic fertilizers and effective microorganisms (EM) as bio-fertilizer is one of the best ways to reach the highest productivity and the best quality of fruits without causing environmental damage while restoring the microbial balance in the soil around the tree roots. Therefore, the purpose of this experiment was to study the effect of vermicompost and effective
microorganisms (EM) on the yield and fruit quality of olive trees "Picual cv.". The study was conducted during the seasons (2021-2022) in a private orchard in Sarabium city in Ismailia Governorate - Egypt. Vermicompost was added at a rate of 1, 2 or 3 kg/tree with or without EM. The results cleared that the soil treatment with 3 kg of vermicompost plus effective microorganisms (600 ml EM divided into 3 addition times) gave the highest yield and the largest weight, size, length and diameter of fruits, as well as the highest flesh weight and content of potassium, iron, zinc and manganese in the leaves, while the treatment with 2 kg of vermicompost with effective
microorganisms (EM) recorded the lowest seed weight, the highest flesh/seed ratio and the maximum oil percentage in the fruits during the two seasons of the experiment.