Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Food Science, King Faisal University, Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia
The plants were grown in the greenhouse to investigate the effects of singral (NPK, 16:9:2) and nitrophoska (NPK, 18:18:5) fertilizers in a sprinkler irrigation system on leaf length, number of leaves/plant, length, number and weight of inflorescense, length of corolla; length, weight and mineral concentration in leaves in sandy soil. Different rates of singral and nitrophoska (0, 1,2 and 3%) were applied with drip irrigation. The highest values of leaf length and number of leaves/plant (102.5 cm and 14.4 respectively) were obtained when the plants were treated with 3% singral in 1994. The highest leaf length (107 cm) and number of leaves/plant (14.2) were obtained with the application of 3% nitrophoska in 1995. The highest inflorescence, length, number/plant and weight (97 cm, 2.83 and 87.77g respectively) were obtained with the application of 3% singral during 1994, whereas these were 104.75 cm, 3.17 and 93.6 g respectively in 1995. The same treatment (3% singral) produced corolla length, bracts length and bracts weight of 11.15 cm, 12.82 cm and 25.07 g respectively in 1994 and 10.97 cm, 13.15 cm and 25.60 g in 1995. The highest values of P(%), Ca(%), Mg(%) and Mn (ppm) concentrations in the leaves were obtained with the application of 2% singral in 1994, while K (%) and Fe (ppm) concentrations were at 3% singral in the same year. In 1995, 3% singral gave the highest concentration of both minerals.
