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Replacing super phosphate with Tricalcium phosphate enhances Bhendi growth

A. Murugan and S. Ramesh

The constant use of synthetic fertilizers in agriculture has lead to adverse environmental problems besides the increasing cost of production. Field experiments to enhance the available phosphorus, soil fertility and plant growth promotion have not been studied with vegetable crops. The impact of replacing super phosphate with tricalcium phosphate in the presence of phosphate solubilizing bacteria on the growth of bhendi plant was studied. Bacillus species isolated from the rhizosphere soil found to be good in releasing phosphate from tricalcium phosphate. Application of super phosphate and tricalcium phosphate at 1:3 ratios along with phosphate solubilising bacteria portrayed increase in the soil and leaf NPK, chlorophyll content, plant height, weight, number of leaves, acidic pH of soil and phosphatase activity which are discussed.