PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON Ficus benjamina PLANTS: 2:EFFECT OF PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZATION AND BIOFERTILIZERS ON SEEDLING GROWTH

Ficus benjamina, L. plants which known as a weeping fig, is an important
shade as well as a component of indoor ornamental plant. Since growth of plants is
greatly improved by fertilization this experiment was carried out for two seasons 2002
and 2003 to investigate the effect of 1, 2, 4 and 8 g/pot of calcium superphosphate
and biofertilizers; Biogen, Microbein, Phosphorene. Biogen + Phospho rene or
Microbein +Phosphorene. One-year-old F. benjamin a transplants were transplanted in
clay pots filled with 8 kg of a sandy soil and oeatrnoss (95: 5 by volume). Calcium
superphosphate and 5 g of biofertilizers were mixed with the soil before transplanting.
Both phosphorus fertilization and biofertilizers significantly improved plant
growth. Plant height, stem thickness, and branch and leaf number were increased by
increasing the level of calcium superphosphate from 1 to 4 g/pot and decreased
when was added at 8 g/pot. Microbein significantly increased most measured
parameters over the non-biofertilized plants. However, there was no significant
difference between Biogen and non-biofertilized plants. The highest plant height, stem
thickness, branch and leaf number and shoot and root biomass were obtained when
F. benjamina plants were fertilized with 4 ghot of calcium superphosphate +
Microbein + Phosphorene.