Growth and Yield Performance of Radish Fertilized with Biofertilizer

Abstract

'lhe study was conducted to evaluate effectiveness of Bio fertilizer and combined inorganic ferttltzer on growth and yield of radish. Tkre experiment was carried out during December to March 2025 at the Facult,v of Technology, Eastern University, Sri Lanka. The study was designed with five treatment and ten replicates. Treatments are Tr-(Control); Recommended amount of chemical fertilizer by Department of Agriculture (RDOA), T2- 712 RDOA of urea *Recommended amount of Triple super phosphate and Muriare of potash +25}mlha Bio fertilizer, T3 - 1/2 RDOA of urea -f TSP&MOP + 500m1/ha Bio fertllizer, T4- Il2 RDOA of urea + TSP & MOP + 750mVha Bio fertilizer, T5- ll/ha Bio fertilizer alone. All other agronomic practices were followed based on DOA recommendation. Plant height, number of leaves, leaf area were measured in weekly interval. Fresh weight of leaf cutting, dry weight of leaf cutting, tuber length, tuber diameter, fiesh weight and dry weight of tuber were measured at the time of harvesting (6th Week after planting). Analysis of variance was performed to determine significant difference among treatment (p<0.05).The results revealed that treatments combining inorganic fertilizers with biofertilizers (T3 and T+) significantly enhanced plant growth and tuber yield compared to inorganic fertilizers alone (Tr) as well as biofertilizers alone ('Is). The highest tuber yield was observed in T+, demonstrating the effectiveness of biofertilizers in improving nutrient uptake, root elongation, and soil microbial activity. These findings suggest that integrating biofertilizers with inorganic fertilizers can enhance radish productivity whiie reducing the environmental impact of excessive chemicalfertllizer use. The study highlights the potential of biofertilizers as a sustainable approach to improving soil fertility and crop yield.