Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
2 Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of East Azarbaijan
Abstract
In order to study the effects of biofertilizers and different amount of nitrogen fertilizer on flower yield, essential oil and nitrogen use efficiency in German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.), a factorial experiment based on the randomized complete block design with three replications was performed in 2008 at the agricultural research farm of the University of Tabriz. Experimental factors were: inoculation with bacteria (B0: no-inoculation, B1: inoculation with Azotobacter chroococcum, B2: inoculation with Azospirillum lipoferum and B3: inoculation with a mixture of two bacteria) and nitrogen fertilizer (N0: 0, N1: 50, N2: 100 and N3: 150 kg N/ha). The results showed that application of different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer significantly increased flower yield and essential oil when compared with control. However, there were no significant differences among application of 50, 100 and 150 kgN/ha. Although flower yield and essential oil of the plants inoculated with bacteria were higher than that of control treatment (B0), these differences were not significant. Combination of inoculation with bacteria and nitrogen fertilizer was significant. Following the inoculation with Azotobacter, mean essential oil percentage significantly decreased with increasing use of nitrogen fertilizer while in other levels of inoculation, different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer had no significant effects on mean essential oil percentage. In all inoculation levels, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) declined with increasing amounts of nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen use efficiency increased in response to inoculation with bacteria (except inoculation with Azotobacter and application of 50 kg N/ha) compared to the control treatment. According to the results, application of 50 kg N/ha and inoculation with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, leads to optimal performance and the highest NUE in German chamomile.
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