Biostimulant application of whey protein hydrolysates and potassium fertilization enhances the productivity and tuber quality of sweet potato

Emad ELWAZIRI; Hany ISMAIL; El-Sayed ABOU EL-KHAIR; Salem M. AL-QAHTANI; Nadi A. AL-HARBI; Hany G. ABD EL-GAWAD; Wael A. OMAR; Khaled ABDELAAL; Ali OSMAN

doi:10.15835/nbha51213122

Authors

Emad ELWAZIRI Zagazig University, Faculty of Agriculture, Horticulture Department, Zagazig, 44511 (EG)
Hany ISMAIL Zagazig University, Faculty of Agriculture, Horticulture Department, Zagazig, 44511 (EG)
El-Sayed ABOU EL-KHAIR Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Potato and Vegetatively Propagated Vegetables Research Department, Giza (EG)
Salem M. AL-QAHTANI University of Tabuk, University College of Tayma, Biology Department, P.O. Box 741, Tabuk (SA)
Nadi A. AL-HARBI University of Tabuk, University College of Tayma, Biology Department, P.O. Box 741, Tabuk (SA)
Hany G. ABD EL-GAWAD Ain Shams University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Cairo 11566 (EG)
Wael A. OMAR Taif University, College of Science, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944 (SA)
Khaled ABDELAAL Kafrelsheikh University, EPCRS Excellence Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Agricultural Botany Department, Plant Pathology and Biotechnology Laboratory, 33516 (EG)
Ali OSMAN Zagazig University, Faculty of Agriculture, Biochemistry Department, Zagazig, 44511 (EG)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha51213122

Keywords:

biofertilizers, horticultural production, protein hydrolysates, sweet potato, potassium fertilization, tuber quality

Abstract

Utilizing biostimulants like protein hydrolysates is one of the most creative and promising approaches to improving nutritional efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance, or crop quality traits. In the present study, whey protein was hydrolysed with trypsin for 4 h at an enzyme/substrate ratio (1/300, w/w). The obtained whey protein hydrolysates (WPH) were chemically characterized, and their antioxidant activity was estimated. WPH, which was produced using trypsin for 4 hours and presented the highest antioxidant activity. Therefore, it was selected as a bio stimulant with potassium fertilization for enhancing the productivity and tuber quality of sweet potatoes. A field experiment was carried out during the two successive summer seasons, at a private vegetable farm in Faques City, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, to study the effect of different potassium rates (50, 75, and 100 kg K₂O/fad) and WPH at 0.10 and 0.20% as a foliar application compared to unsprayed plants (control). The interaction between K₂O at 100 kg /fad and spraying with WPH at 0.15% increased shoot dry weight/ plant, N, P, and K uptake by shoots, yield/plant, marketable yield, and total yield/fad, as well as average tuber root weight. It was concluded that the most efficient bio-stimulating foliar spray treatment for increasing sweet potato productivity was WPH (0.20%).

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