Agricultural and Biological Research

Enhancing growth and nutrient uptake in boufegous date palm variety with seaweed extracts and AMF/PGPR combination in the field

Nogot Abdelaaziz*, Abdesalam Khardi, Hicham Aboumadane, Madiha Goutoutou and Jaiti Fatima

The utilization of Seaweed Extracts (SWE) and a combination of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) has received considerable attention in recent years due to their potential to ameliorate growth and nutrient uptake in diverse vegetable species. To promote sustainable agriculture in oasis ecosystems, particularly for the date palm that serves as a fundamental component of the economic and social development of oases, a study was conducted at a palm farm in Tamassint, Errachidia province, Morocco. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of Seaweed Extracts (SWE) and a combination of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the mineral uptake, physiological and morphological growth parameters of the boufegous date palm cultivar. Seven treatments were used, which included SWE: Ascophyllum nodosum at 1% and 2%, SWE: Ecklonia maxima at 1% and 2%, 10 g/palm and 20 g/palm of a combination of AMF/PGPR and a control group with no treatment. The results indicated that seaweed extracts enhanced growth rate parameters, nutrient uptake, chlorophyll content and fluorescence activity in both growing seasons, whereas the AMF+PGPR combination only improved all the measured parameters in the second year of the experiment, except for the number of leaves per palm where no effects were observed during both seasons.