Effect of seeding rates, bio fertilizations and nitrogen on triticale productivity under new reclaimed soil conditions South Sinai

Abstract A two-season field experiment was conducted at El-Tour, South Sinai, Egypt, to evaluate the agronomic and economic efficiency of integrating nitrogen fertilization, biofertilization, and seeding rates on triticale ( Triticosecale Wittmack L.) productivity under newly reclaimed sandy soil conditions. The experiment followed a split–split plot design with three replications, including two microbial inoculation levels (with and without Microbien ), three seeding rates (45, 70, and 95 kg ha⁻ 1 ), and four nitrogen levels (0, 190, 238, and 285 kg N ha⁻ 1 ). Results showed that grain, straw, and biological yields, as well as nitrogen uptake and internal nitrogen use efficiency, were significantly affected by all main factors and their interactions across both seasons. The integrated application of Microbien with moderate-to-high nitrogen rates (N₁₉₀–N₂₃₈) and a high seeding rate (95 kg ha⁻ 1 ) achieved the highest grain yield (> 8.0 t ha⁻ 1 ), biological yield (> 19.0 t ha⁻ 1 ), and protein content, while improving nutrient use efficiency. Economic evaluation indicated that this combination also produced the highest total and net gains, confirming its superiority in profitability compared with the higher nitrogen rate (N₂₈₅), which showed diminishing economic returns. These findings demonstrate that the integration of biofertilizer with optimized nitrogen fertilization and seeding density represents an economically viable and environmentally sustainable approach to enhance triticale productivity and resource-use efficiency under arid sandy soil conditions.