Effect of fertilizers starter solutions on growth and production of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)

The seedlings of vegetables are exposed to stress states, especially through the first period, due to injuring their roots by transplanting or heavy rain , so it is necessary to provide an available nutrient to recover the growth and increase their early yield, which means more income for farmers. In this regard, an experiment was conducted in the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, Agriculture Faculty, University of Baghdad, Iraq to study the effect of different types and concentrations of mineral fertilizers as starter solutions by using high nitrogen (N), high phosphorus (P) and neutral fertilizers (Q) at three levels which were 4 g/l (S1), 8 g/l (S2) and 12 g/l (S3) on broccoli growth and yield. The results showed that the treatment of adding the starter solution of the neutral fertilizer with a concentration of 8 g/l (QS2 treatment) significantly enhanced the main head weight (631.9 g/plant), the plant yield (1050.6 g/plant) and the total yield (35.02 t/ha) traits, and gave good results for the indicators of quality characteristics of heads, where the percentage of soluble solids was 9.06 and the percentage of nitrogen and protein (3.72 and 23.25, respectively). Therefore, the addition of starter solution to the nitrogen fertilizer at a concentration of 8 g/l (NS2 treatment) enhanced the number and weight of lateral head which gave 7.28 lateral heads/plant and 420.9 g/plant, respectively.