The Effect of Biofertilizers on Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Development Yield and Fiber Technological Properties

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of biofertilizer application on cotton yield, cotton growth and fiber technological properties. This study was carried out at faculty of agriculture, department of field crops, Siirt University, Turkey during 2017 cotton growing season. The experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with four replications. Stoneville 468 cotton cultivar was used as plant material. In this experiment Coton Plus and Mega Flu have been used as biofertilizers to increase cotton yield and technological properties as opposed to the utilization of chemical fertilizer. Further, Cotton Plus is mixed microbial fertilizer which contains Bacillus subtilis, Paenibacillus azotofixans while Mega Flu contains three different genera of bacteria Bacillus megaterium, Pantoea agglomerans and Pseudomonas fluorences. The results of study indicated that there were significant differences between biofertilizers applications in terms of seed cotton yield, lint yield, ginning percentage, the number of monopodial branches, but there were non-significant differences observed in terms of lint quality characteristics except fiber elongation. The best results obtained from the application of biofertilizers at seed + square +flowering +boll formation periods. Comparing with control 1350 kg ha^-1 higher yield was obtained from Coton-Plus application. Significant seed cotton yield and lint yield obtained by using few times biofertilizers at different growing stages (seed +squaring + flowering +boll forming stages). These findings indicated that yield increasing can be achieved by using biofertilizers few times instead of one time.