Nitrogen use efficiency and yield of broccoli crop fertilized with compost and synthetic fertilizer in arid region of Morocco

Kaoutar Aouass, Lahcen Kenny

Abstract: Soils in arid regions and especially in Morocco are becoming increasingly degraded and polluted due to the heavy use of synthetic chemical fertilizers linked to population growth. The optimal dose is a key challenge for successful crop yield. Organic fertilizer such as compost remain a great potential to improve soil fertility and yield. Broccoli is a crop that is beginning to develop in Morocco. It is very nitrogen demanding crop; therefore, it is necessary to know nitrogen use efficiency of compost in broccoli. In this field experimental conducted during 2016, different treatments were tested on broccoli as follows: TC8t/ha: compost, 8 t/ha (equivalent 200 kg N /ha), TC12t/ha: compost, 12 t/ha (equivalent 300 kg N/ha), TSYN: Synthetic chemical fertilizer (200 kg N/ha), TC+SYN: 50% compost, 4 t/ha+50% Synthetic fertilizer (equivalent 200 kg N/ha) and T0: control. Our research showed that the combination of compost and synthetic fertilizer: TC+SYN improved the growth and yield parameters of broccoli. The best main head yield of broccoli was 13.5 t/ha for TC+SYN. Compost improved the chemical properties of soil. Total N content was 266 kg/ha for TC+SYN, 253 kg/ha for TSYN, 244 kg/ha for TC8t/ha and 234 kg/ha for TC12t/ha. For Nitrogen use efficiency. Apparent recovery efficiency (ARE) was higher with TSYN: 0.91 and the last value was 0.48 with TC12t/ha.

Keywords: broccoli; compost; nitrogen use efficiency; synthetic fertilizer; yield

Date published: 2023-04-26