Document Type : Original Article
                            
                        
                                                    Authors
                            
                                                            
                                                                            1
                                                                        Dept. of Hort., Fac. of Agric., Suez Canal Univ. Ismailia, Egypt.                                
                                                            
                                                                            2
                                                                        Vegetable Res. Dept., Hort. Res. Inst., Agric Res. Center. Giza, Egypt.                                
                            
                                                                            
                        
                        
                            Abstract
                            Two field trials were carried out in 2002 and 2003 seasons on sweet potato 
 cv. Abeese, at EI-Bramoon Agric. Farm of EI-Mansoura Hort. Res. Station. The 
 research aimed at studying the effect of foliar nutrition with a mixture of Fe, Mn and 
 Zn, each at 100 ppm, vascular arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM) and Phosphorein, as bio- 
 phosphorus fertilizer, and mineral phosphate fertilizer at 0, 30, 45 and 60 kg P20slfed., 
 on chemical composition of leaves and nutritional status of cured roots of sweet 
 potato. Results indicated that foliar application of micronutrients significamly increased 
 N contents of leaves and cured roots, P contents of cured roots and K contents of 
 leaves, in both seasons. Also Fe, ln and Mn contents of both leaves and tuber roots 
 Significantly increased in response to foliar spray with micronutrients. Using P205 at 60 
 kg/fed. as mineral fertilizer, or VAM, as bio-fertilizer resulted in best significant 
 increases in N, P, K, Fe, Zn, and Mn, in leaves and cured roots, in both seasons.
 Organic composition, i.e., total carbohydrates, reducing, non-reducing, total 
 carotenes and dry matter, of cured sweet potato roots were significantly increased as 
 a result of treating plants with either micronutrients, or mineral phosphorus fertilizer at 
 30, 45 or 60 kg P20sl fed., or by VAM or Phosphorein as bio-phosphate fertilizer.
 Positive interactions among micronutrients, mineral P-rates and bio-phosphorus 
 fertilizer, on chemical composition of leaves and cured roots were detected.