A pot experiment was carried out at the Experimental Farm and Laboratory of Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University Egypt during the 2019 and 2020 successive growing seasons. The study was carried out to define the efficiency of various biofertilizers Minia Azotein (MA), Frankia and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza. each alone or combined with two doses of chemical fertilizer NPK at 75% and 50% from the recommended dose (350:200:100 kg/ fed) and/or the full dose of 100% NPK for improving some vegetative and root growth characteristics of Casuarina equistifolia seedlings grown in sandy soil. Results showed that all treated seedlings of casuarina with Frankia 50g/ plant, and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) 50 ml/plant in combination with 75% NPK T8 and T10 and or NPK 100% recommended dose (10:5:2.5g/plant) T2 recorded significant increases in plant height, stem diameter, number of branches, biomass fresh and dry weights compared to the other treatments and control. The highest rooting values of root length, root fresh, and dry weights of casuarina plants were found with the abovementioned treatments followed by Minia Azotein (MA) combined with 75%NPK (T6) in both seasons while the other treatments did not attain any significant variances in vegetative and root growth parameters. It can be concluded that Frankia 50g/plant, Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) 50 ml/plant with 75% of the recommended dose (7.5:3.75:1.875g/plant)T6, T8, and/ or 100% of the recommended dose of NPK (10:5:2.5g/plant) T2 were the best in improving vegetative and root characteristics of Casuarina equistifolia seedlings. |
