Enhancing Cotton Crop Productivity in Calcareous Soils Through Microbial Inoculation and Algae Extract Foliar Spray

During the 2020 and 2021 summer planting seasons, a field trial was conducted at the Nubaria Research Station, Cotton Research Institute, and Agricultural Research Centre. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of bio-fertilization on cotton crop yield, its components, and fiber properties in Giza 94 and Giza 96 cotton cultivars. The experiment involved seed inoculation with Bacillus Megaterium, Bacillus Circulans, Azospirillum brasiliense, or a mixture of these, followed by foliar spraying with algae extract at 65, 85, and 105 days after planting. Additionally, each treatment received half the recommended mineral fertilizer dose.Key findings reveal that Giza 94 outperformed Giza 96 in terms of growth and yield attributes, while Giza 96 exhibited superior fiber properties. Notably, the combination of bacterial inoculation, algae extract application, and 50% NPK fertilizer resulted in the highest crop yield and fiber quality compared to the use of 100% NPK fertilizer. Nevertheless, the interaction between cotton genotypes and fertilizer treatments showed no significant impact on plant height, the number of fruiting branches per plant, boll weight, and seed index across both growing seasons.