Biofertilization and Organic Extracts Enhance Vegetative Growth and Yield of Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica) – Implications for Sustainable Production of High Value Leafy Greens for the Food Industry

Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica) is a nutrient dense leafy green vegetable with growing commercial value for fresh and processed food markets, owing to its high content of vitamins (A, C, K), minerals (calcium, iron), fibre, and bioactive phenolic compounds. A field experiment was conducted at the Abu Al Fadl Forest Nursery Station, Al Diwaniyah, Iraq, to investigate the effects of biofertilization and organic extracts on vegetative growth and yield traits of kale. The experiment included two factors: Factor ۱ – biofertilizers (control, yeast extract ۵ g L⁻¹, Folozyme ۲ g L⁻¹, Biohealth ۲ g L⁻¹); Factor ۲ – organic extracts (control, urea ۵ g L⁻¹, amino acids ۵ mL L⁻¹, humic acid ۷ mL L⁻¹, seaweed extract ۵ mL L⁻¹). Results showed that Folozyme significantly improved leaf number (۲۱.۷۷), plant height (۲۷.۵۷ cm), chlorophyll content (۷۴.۰ SPAD), leaf dimensions, and total yield (۳۴.۶۳ ton ha⁻¹). Urea application enhanced single plant yield (۰.۸۵۳۳ kg) and total yield (۳۴.۱۳ ton ha⁻¹). The interaction of Biohealth + seaweed gave the tallest plants (۳۰.۵۸ cm), while yeast extract + seaweed maximised leaf area (۴۲۰۰ cm² plant⁻¹). The treatment Folozyme + amino acids produced the longest leaves (۳۶.۷۰ cm), and Folozyme + urea gave the widest leaves (۱۵.۲۰ cm). These findings demonstrate that integrated biofertilizer and organic extract applications can substantially enhance kale productivity, offering a sustainable, low input approach to produce high quality raw materials for the food industry.

کلیدواژه ها:

Kale ، Biofertilizer ، organic extracts ، Vegetative growth ، yield ، Food industry ، sustainable production functional food leafy greens