Effect of nitrogen fertilization and fungal inoculation on the growth of Senna surattensis (Cassia glauca) seedlings
1Plant Production Techniques Department, Al-Mussaib Technical College, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, 2Plant Production Techniques Department, Al-Mussaib Technical College, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, 3Plant Production Techniques Department, Al-Mussaib Technical College, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, 4Department of Soil and Water Techniques, Al-Musayyab Technical College, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Iraq. Corresponding e-mail: mohammed.rahim@atu.edu.iq
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2026.v28i02.59
This study was conducted in the ornamental plant shade house of the Plant Production Techniques Department at Al-Mussaib Technical College during the fall 2024 and spring 2025 seasons to examine the effect of nitrogen addition and fungal inoculation on the growth of S. surattensis seedlings. A factorial experiment was implemented using a completely randomized design with two factors: urea fertilizer at three levels (N0: no addition, N1: 40 kg ha?¹, N2: 80 kg ha?¹) and fungal inoculation at four levels (B0: no inoculation, B1: Trichoderma asperellum, B2: mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus sp.), B3: a mixture of mycorrhizal fungi + Trichoderma). The results showed that B3 produced the highest plant height (102.53 cm), stem diameter (9.5 mm), chlorophyll content (39.7 SPAD units), leaflet number (543 leaflets plant?¹), and shoot dry weight (24.6 g). Nitrogen treatment N2 also improved all measured traits, giving 97.7 cm in height, 9.0 mm stem diameter, 37.6 SPAD units, 517.3 leaflets plant?¹, and 22.9 g dry weight. The treatment of combined inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi and T. asperellum under nitrogen fertilization resulted in the greatest increases overall, with plant height reaching 106.3 cm, stem diameter 10.6 mm, chlorophyll content 41.7 SPAD units, 576 leaflets plant?¹, and shoot dry weight 27.2 g.
