Аpplication of fertilizers with increased content of microalgae and Ca, Mg, B in the production of okra

Okra is the most widely used species from the Malvaceae family. Pods rich in vitamins, fiber, potassium, calcium and other minerals that are necessary for the diet are the reason for growing okra. The traditional approach to okra production is based on the use of chemical fertilizers. Continuous fertilization is applied to all crops that require a large amount of food. This way of production can lead to environmental pollution and increase production costs for farmers. In order to reduce the negative impact on the environment, the use of biological fertilizers is recommended. The aim of the work was to examine the influence of two types of fertilizers: based on minerals Ca, Mg and B and fertilizers based on microalgae in different treatments on certain morphological characteristics of okra plants. The experiment was conducted in 2024 in the greenhouse of the Smederevska Palanka Vegetable Institute. Planting of seedlings, variety "Nana" was carried out on June 27, according to a completely random block system in four repetitions. 40 plants were planted in each treatment. The influence of two fertilizers based on Ca, Mg and B (treatments F1-F4) and microalgae (treatments F5-F8) was tested, applied using foliar and manual irrigation in the amount of 20 g per 10 l of water; or 30 ml/10 l of water. The treatments included four applications 15 days after planting every 10 days (F1 and F5 - 1 fertilizer application, F2 and F6 - 2 fertilizer applications, F3 and F7 - 3 fertilizer applications; F4 and F8 - 4 fertilizer applications) and a control variant. The highest average value of the height of the plant to the apical meristem was measured in the control variant (224.00 cm), while the highest number of internodes was formed in treatments F5 (20.00) and F3 (19.67), and the highest number of lateral branches were formed in treatment F3 (4.67).