Effects of two different doses of biofertilizer on the growth and production of Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. Gongylodes L.)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Diyala, Diyala, Iraq.

2 Department of Biology, College of Science for women, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq.

Abstract

Objective
This study was carried out to investigate the effects of two levels of biofertilizer on the growth and yield of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. L.) under local environmental conditions under standard conditions involving water and sunlight exposure.

Materials and methods
A field experiment with biofertilizer (3,6 kg ha-1) was conducted in loam soil at a research field affiliated with a green gold company (Diyala City, Iraq). The physical and chemical characteristics of the field soil were recorded. The experimental methodology was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications versus the control. The first dose of biofertilizer (3), which consisted of Trichoderma and Bacillus strains with humic acids and seaweed extract, was applied one week after planting, and the second dose (6) was added after two weeks. In their plots, the Kohlrabi seedlings were manually planted in rows of two meters each, separated by 20 cm (3 rows per plot). The seeds of Kohlrabi were sowed (on 10 September 2023 in the seedbed and planted in the field on 22 October 2023). Throughout the research, all weeding was performed by hand. The crop was harvested after 90 days of planting and statistically analyzed.

Results
The results indicated that the 6 kg/ha treatment resulted in the maximum average growth and productivity parameters, such as plant height, leaf number, chlorophyll content, leaf area, bulb length, bulb diameter, bulb weight, root weight and total yield. The values for these genes were 56.76 ± 2.30, 9.56 ± 0.23, 14.53 ± 0.26, 13.03 ± 0.61, 9.00 ± 0.05, 11.81 ± 0.13, 298.33 ± 4.41, 51.50 ± 0.50, and 9.54 ± 0.14, respectively, under the lowest values recorded under the control treatment.

Conclusions
This study is very significant because it provides an alternative for chemical fertilizers that ecologically enhances cabbage growth and production while lowering cost and keeping the soil and food healthy.

Keywords

References

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Agricultural Biotechnology Journal
Volume 17, Issue 4
November 2025
Pages 439-452

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