The Effects of Organic and Biological Fertilizers on Yield and Yield Components of Black Seed (Nigella sativa L.)

In order to investigate the effects of organic and biological fertilizers, on yield and yield components of black seed (Nigella sativa L.), a field experiment was conducted at Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, in years of 2009-2010, by using a completely randomized block design with three replications. The experimental treatments included: 1- Control (no fertilizer), 2- Nitroxin (including Azotobacter sp. and Azospirillum sp.), 3- Mycorrhizae, 4- Biosulfur (including Thiobacillus sp.), 5- Compost, 6- Vermicompost, 7- Nitroxin + compost, 8- Nitroxin + vermicompost, 9- Mycorrhizae + compost, 10- Mycorrhizae + vermicompost, 11- Biosulfur + compost, 12- Biosulfur + vermicompost, 13- Nitroxin + mycorrhizae, 14- Nitroxin + mycorrhizae + compost and 15- Nitroxin + mycorrhizae + vermicompost. Results showed that studied treatments had significant effects on all studied criteria; expect seed number per follicle, seed weight per follicle and 1000 seed weights of black seed. Our results revealed that studied biological fertilizers had no effect on black seed yield except biosulfur. In addition, compost + biosulfur and vermicompost +biosulfur treatments (790.83 and 790.80 kg.ha-1, respectively) had the highest seed yield in comparison to control treatment (338.83 kg.ha-1). It seems that in the alkalic soils, biosulfur plus sulfur treatments could increase black seed yield probably by decreasing soil pH.