Effect of Moringa oleifera Seed Cake as an Eco-friendly Fertilization Source on the Performance of Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) Plant Grown in Sandy Soil

Abstract

Antirrhinum majus is a winter annual plant, it can grow in new areas with sandy soil, which contains low levels of nutrients. A pot experiment was conducted during the two successive seasons of 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 in the greenhouse of the Hort. Res. Inst., ARC, Giza, Egypt, to explore the effect of Moringa Seed Cake (MSC) as natural fertilization source individual or combined with Microbien (M). It was observed that the plants treated with MSC at a rate of 30g/ pot+ 5 ml/ pot M gave the highest values for all vegetative and spikes traits except for the root length which increased with the treatment of MSC at 15 g/ pot + M at 10 ml/ pot. Also, MSC at 15 g/ pot+ M at 5 ml/ pot treatment recorded the highest increment in root, shoot in both seasons. Regarding to the chemical estimations [photosynthetic pigments, crude protein, nutrient elements (N, P, K, Mg and Fe) and total sugars]  data revealed that the highest values in shoot with the treatment of MSC at 30 g + M at 5 ml/ pot. The crude protein and nutrient elements including (N, P, K and Fe ) in the roots showed the highest values when the treatment was MSC at 45 g/ pot + M at 5ml/ pot, In contrast, for Mg, the highest value appeared in the roots in plants  treated with MSC at 30g + M at  5 ml/ pot.