The response of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) production and quality to different organic and chemical fertilizers

Background and objectives: Although chemical fertilizers in short-term can increase vegetables yield, but must be renewed each planting season that this trend increases the concentration of nitrate in the vegetables shoots, nitrogen leaching and contamination of water resources, loss of beneficial insects and microorganisms and soil fertility will decline, and over time reduce the yield and quality of vegetables. So, the aim of this experiment was to prevent the adverse effects of chemical fertilizers and improve the quality of the vegetables.
Martial and methods: The experiment was conducted at the research farm the Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University in randomized complete block design in 2014. Different fertilizer treatments consisted of F0: control (no fertilizer and manure), F1: nitrogen based broiler litter, F2: phosphorus based broiler litter, F3: nitrogen based cattle manure, F4: phosphorus based cattle manure + urea fertilizer, F5: chemical fertilizer equivalent F1, F6: chemical fertilizer equivalent F2, F7: chemical fertilizer equivalent F3 and F8: chemical fertilizer equivalent T4.
Results: The results indicated that nitrate amount of BL and CM treatments was significant lower than the chemical fertilizer treatments. In the first harvest, the maximum nitrate amount achieved in F7 treatment (mean 98.77 mg kg-1), but in the second harvest, the greatest nitrate amount obtained in F5 and F7 treatments (mean 117.37 and 115.47 mg kg-1, respectively). In the first harvest, control and N- based treatments had the highest apparent quality, however in the second harvest, apparent quality of F2 and F5 were significant greater than the other treatments. In first harvest, the moisture content of F2 and F5 treatments hadn't significant difference with F3, F4 and F8 treatments, for the second harvest moisture content of F3 treatment hadn't significant difference with F0, F6 and and organic manure treatments . The correlation between nitrate and vegetable apparent quality was significantly positive (P< 0.05, r = 0.38*). However there was significant negative correlation between nitrate and moithure content (PConclusion: In general, it can be concluded that the supply of fertilizer in the form of organic (broiler litter and cattle manure) cause to increase the quality and health of the purslane crop