Effect of the Organic Fertilization by Using Home Tea Residues and the Bio Fertilization with Aspergillus Niger Fungus on the Growth and Yield of Chili Pepper (Capsicum Annuam)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in the greenhouse belong to the Department of Biology - college of Education for Pure Sciences - University of Diyala to study the impacts of home tea residues as (dry tea residues and tea residues extract), Aspergillus niger fungus and their synergistic effect on the growth and yield of chili pepper (Capsicum annuam). Results showed significant increments  in the plant height, fresh and dry weights of shoot and fruits, number of leaves and  number of fruits per plant as a result of watering the plants with tea residues extract. On the other hand, the results also showed that the bio fertilization with Aspergillus niger fungus caused significant increments in all the studied characteristics of the pepper plant exception the total chlorophyll content of leaves and the number of flowers per plant, the results indicate to noticeable increments in these two characteristics, but they were not significant. As for the synergistic effect  between home tea residues (dry tea residues and tea residues extract) and Aspergillus niger fungus, the results showed significant increments in the plant height, fresh and dry weights of shoot and fruits and  the combination consist of  (home tea residues extract +  Aspergillus niger fungus) recorded the highest averages of (44.573 cm) for the plant height, (30.16 g) for shoot fresh weight, (6.153 g) for shoot dry weights and (18.236 g) for fresh weight of fruits  , while the control treatment recorded the lowest averages of (30.017 cm, 20.866 g, 2.38 g, 10.596 g) for the mentioned characteristics  respectively.

Keywords: Aspergillus niger, Capsicum annum, Tea residues, Bio fertilizer.