Response of Some Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Cultivars Grown in Sandy Soil to Soil and Foliar Feeding with the Different Sources of Phosphorus

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of most important leguminous crops for animal and human nutrition. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to improve the growth, yield and yield components as well as nutrient status of peanut cultivars grown on sandy soil by applying different sources of phosphorus as a soil and foliar feeding. Summer field experiment was carried out in Ismailia Experimental Station, Agriculture Research Center, during the growing seasons 2010 and 2011 to study the influence of soil (at recommended doses) and foliar application of phosphorus (at 0.5% P2O5) using different sources of phosphorus fertilizer on leaves uptake of some nutrients, growth, yield and yield components of three peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars, (Giza-6, R92 and Gregory). The experimental design was split plot with four replicates. The three peanut cultivars were occupied in Main plot and ten treatments of phosphorus fertilizer (soil and foliar application) were allocated at random in sub-plots. Result showed significant differences among peanut cultivars in all studied parameters in the two of study seasons. Superiority of dry weight of leaves, nutrient uptake by leaves, plant height, pods yield and yield components and shelling percentage were recorded by Giza-6 and R92 cultivars. The obtained results indicated that the Applying UP and MKP to soil improved all growth and yield components and resulted improving nutrients uptake in peanut leaves which induced significant increase in pods yield as compared to other treatments. There was significant effect of the interaction between peanut cultivars and phosphorus fertilizer of different sources on all parameters studied. Giza-6 cultivar gave the highest values for plant height, weight of pods/plant, 100-pod weight, weight of seeds/plant and dry weight of leaves/plant, when fertilizer with SSP as foliar, UP, MAP and MKP application to the soil, respectively. Based on two years results, it could be concluded that application of MKP to soil might be the best for crop nutrients status, pods yield and its components under sandy soil condition, at Ismailia.