Effects of chemical, organic and microbial fertilization on agronomical growth parameters, seed yield and chemical composition of chickpea

Abstract

Because of its valuable nutritional content, chickpea is expected to become the most important crop for the increasingly larger global population. Therefore, this research was carried out in 2018 and 2019 to investigate the effects of microbial (Bacillus-GC group, Pseudomonas tetraodonis and Brevibacillus choshinensis), organic (vermicompost and chicken manure) and chemical (DAP/2 ve DAP) fertilizer applications on yield and nutritient content of two different chickpea cultivars (Arda and Azkan). The experiment was laid out according to a randomized complete split-block design with three replications. The results expressed as the average values of two-year experiments projected that the application of chicken manure significantly improved the morphological traits of chickpea plants compared to the other treatments, while the highest phosphorus content was recorded after the application of farm manure. Additionally, the highest grain yield from both cultivars was obtained owing to the application of chicken manure. Apart from this effect, other microbial applications also played a positive role in plant growth and production, but chicken manure excelled in this respect. Thus, it has been concluded that chicken manure could be used as a suitable alternative to chemical fertilizer for chickpea cultivation in order to create a sustainable agricultural system, increase productivity and protect and improve soil properties.