The bio-organic nano fertilizer improves sugar beet photosynthesis process and productivity

Applications of biological agents intensify the growth of crops, so they more quickly form a maximum leaf area, optimize photosynthesis, increase plant productivity and quality. Chemical producers offer a new generation of bio-organic fertilizers based on nano technologies. Such fertilizers have not been well investigated yet; therefore, the aim of this study was to ascertain the influence of the fertilization rates by bio-organic nano fertilizer, made from cattle manure on the effectiveness of sugar beet crop photosynthesis and productivity parameters. The investigations were carried out in 2011-2012 at Aleksandras Stulginskis University's Research Station, Kaunas district, Lithuania (54 degrees 52'N, 23 degrees 49'E) on a silty loam Luvisol (Calcari-Epihypogleyic Luvisol, LVg-p-w-cc). Sugar beet plants were sprayed with the fertilizer at doses of 0.5 or 1.0 L ha(-1) at the BBCH 18 and/or BBCH 31 stages. Single application of the bio-organic fertilizer at single 1 L ha(-1) dose was more effective than at single 0.5 L ha(-1) or double 0.5 + 0.5 L ha(-1) doses. At the beginning of intensive sugar beet development (BBCH 37-38), single 1 L ha(-1) dose increased the number of leaves by 19.6%, leaf area by 13.4%, root diameter by 11.1%, canopy dry biomass by 29.1%, root biomass by 42.6%, net photosynthetic productivity by 15.8%, root yield by 12.6%, sucrose content by 1.03 percentage points and yield of white sugar by 19.2% in comparison with the untreated beets. Double 1 + 1 L ha(-1) dose of fertilizer was slightly more effective but economically less suitable than single (1 L ha(-1)). In general, the application of bio-organic fertilizer revealed a great potential for optimization of sugar beet development, productivity and quality parameters.