Evaluation of the role of vermicompost, biofertilizer, and phosphorus fertilizer in enhancing the sustainability of growth indicators of potato and improving soil fertility

Resumo

A field experiment was conducted in one of the fields of Babylon Province during the 2024–2025 season to cultivate potato crop (cv. Bureish) in a silty loam soil, with the aim of evaluating the role of biofertilizer, vermicompost, and phosphorus fertilizer in enhancing the sustainability of potato growth indicators. The experiment included three factors: the first factor was the addition of vermicompost at three levels (0, 10, and 20 Mg ha⁻¹), denoted as V0, V1, and V2, respectively. The second factor was the addition of biofertilizer (Biohealth) at three levels (0, 4, and 8 kg ha⁻¹), while the third factor was phosphorus fertilizer at two levels only 50 kg ha⁻¹, representing half the recommended dose, and 100 kg ha⁻¹, representing the full recommended dose), denoted as P1 and P2, respectively. Thus, the total number of experimental units was 54. Before maturity, plant height, number of stems per plant, leaf area, chlorophyll index (SPAD) units, and dry weight of the shoot system were measured. Results showed that the highest values of these indicators were obtained from the high level of vermicompost treatment (V2), which recorded 51.35 cm, 2.59 stems/plant, 4871 cm²/plant, 54.99 SPAD units, and 5.55 Mg, respectively. Similarly, the biofertilizer treatment B2 gave values of 51.50 cm, 2.37 stems/plant, 4522 cm²/plant, 53 SPAD units, and 5.2 Mg, respectively.