The effect of compost on growth and yield of Phaseolus vulgaris plants grown under saline soil

Purpose The effect of a novel organo-mineral fertilizer(OMF) compost, as a partial alternative to mineral fertilizers,on soil characteristics, growth, physio-biochemicalattributes, Cd2 and NO3- concentrations, and yields ofPhaseolus vulgaris L. plants grown under salt stress wasinvestigated.Methods Six organic and mineral materials were wellmixed with water and composted in a polyvinyl house in aconcrete trench of size 4 9 5 9 2 m (W 9 L 9 D),respectively. The moisture content was maintained at50–60% throughout the active composting period by frequentchecking. The mixture was turned at 7-day intervalsfor about 2 months to maintain porosity. This OMF compostwas applied for the tested saline soil at 10, 20 and 30ton ha-1 while reducing the recommended NPK to 50%. Inaddition,100% NPK was applied as a control to achieve thepurpose of this study. Growth characteristics, quantitativeand qualitative yield, Cd2 and NO3- concentrations, andphysio-biochemical attributes in common bean plants wereassessed.Results Addition of OMF compost improved the soilchemical and physical properties. Application of OMFcompost at a rate of 20 ton h-1, as an alternative to 50% ofthe recommended dose of mineral-NPK fertilizers, significantlydecreased the concentrations of Cd2 and NO3- inplant leaves, pods and seeds, showing the same growthcharacteristics, and pod and seed yields compared to thecontrol (100% of mineral-NPK fertilizers). This treatmentalso improved all determined physio-biochemical attributesand tested soil characteristics compared to the control.Conclusion The benefit of this OMF compost, as a partialalternative to chemical fertilizers, demonstrated the validityand possibility of sustainable agronomic performance ofcommon bean using locally available recycled organicmaterials for manufacturing the studied OMF.