Effect of Some Natural Extracts and Mineral Fertilization Rates on Growth and Yield of Some Egyptian Cotton Varieties

A field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm of Sakha Agricultural Research Station (Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate), Agricultural Research Center, Egypt, during two successive seasons of 2019 and 2020 to study the effect of foliar spray with natural extracts and mineral fertilization treatments, i.e., control (full dose of mineral fertilization rates with 60 kg N, 30 Kg P₂O₅ and 48 kg K₂O/fed [A], 75 % A and foliar spray of compost tea, 75 % A and foliar spray of algae extract, 75 % A and foliar spray of compost tea with algae extracts, 50 % A and foliar spray of compost tea, 50 % A with foliar spray of algae extract and 50 % A and foliar spray of compost tea with algae extracts on vegetative growth, yield and yield components of two Egyptian cotton varieties, i.e., Giza 94 and Giza 97. The experiments were laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replicates. Results reveal that the superiority of the promising cotton variety of Giza 97 in No. of sympodial/plant, No. of fruiting sites/plant, No. of opened bolls/plant, No. of total bolls/plant, opened bolls %, seed cotton yield/plant (g), lint cotton yield/plant (g), boll weight (g), lint %, seed cotton yield/fed (kentar) and lint cotton yield/fed (kentar) in addition to recorded the lowest bolls shedding % in both seasons as compared to Giza 94 cotton variety. While, the maximum plant height (cm), No. of monopodial/plant, bolls shedding %, seed index (g) and lint index (g) were achieved by Giza 94 variety in both seasons. Cotton plants treated by 75 % A and foliar spray of compost tea with algae extracts significantly gave the maximum plant height, No. of sympodial/plant, No. of fruiting sites/plant, No. of opened bolls/plant, No. of total bolls/plant, opened bolls %, seed cotton yield/plant, lint cotton yield/plant, boll weight, seed index, lint %, lint index, seed cotton yield/fed and lint cotton yield/fed, followed by 75 % A with foliar spray of algae extract treatment, respectively in both seasons. Cotton plants treated with 100 % mineral fertilizer treatment markedly gave the maximum bolls shedding % also recorded the lowest No. of opened bolls/plant and opened bolls % in both seasons. Growing Giza 97 variety treated by 75 % A and foliar spray of compost tea with algae extracts treatment recorded the greatest No. of sympodial/plant, No. of fruiting sites/plant, No. of opened bolls/plant, No. of total bolls/plant, opened bolls %, seed cotton yield/plant, lint cotton yield/plant, boll weight, lint %, seed cotton yield/fed and lint cotton yield/fed during both seasons. Based on the previous results it could be concluded that, growing promising cotton variety of Giza 97 treated by 75 % A along and foliar spray of compost tea with algae extracts treatment produced the maximum seed cotton yield and its related traits.