Research Article

Effect of Different Fertilizer Regimes on Some Vegetative and Yield Related Traits of Faba Beans (Vicia faba L.)

Ahmed Abbas Al-Gharani

1Middle Technical University, Technical Institute- Suwaira, Wasit, Iraq.

Received | September 08, 2024; Accepted | December 15, 2025; Published | May 01, 2026

*Correspondence | Ahmed Abbas Al-Gharani, Middle Technical University, Technical Institute- Suwaira, Wasit, Iraq; Email: [email protected]

Citation | Al-Gharani, A.A. 2026. Effect of different fertilizer regimes on some vegetative and yield related traits of faba beans (Vicia faba L.). Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 42(2): 718-723.

DOI | https://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.sja/2026/42.2.718.723

Keywords | Faba beans, Organic fertilizer, Mineral fertilizers, Vegetative growth parameters, Yield characteristics

Copyright: 2026 by the authors. Licensee ResearchersLinks Ltd, England, UK.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Introduction

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is one of the major leguminous crops being widely grown for both human and animal consumption (Bangar and Kajla, 2022). These beans are also known as broad beans and have a high nutritional value with substantial protein and fiber contents ranging from 25–40 and 5–8.5%, respectively. Faba beans are excellent alternative and a cheaper source of dietary protein as compared to costly animal proteins, particularly in developing countries such as in Africa and Asia (El-Yazal, 2020; Maalouf et al., 2021). Moreover, V. faba plants can ameliorate the physico-chemical and biological characteristics of the soil because of the important characteristic of fixation of atmospheric nitrogen through symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria (Mekki, 2016; Aschi et al., 2017; Jithesh et al., 2024).

In Iraq, major V. faba cultivating areas include the Governorates of Nineveh, Baghdad, and Babylon, covering an area of about 6200 hectares (MoP, Iraq, 2020). with an average yield of 5240 tons per annum (Jasim et al., 2016; Bashar et al., 2025). Bean cultivation in Iraq still suffers from many problems that have led to a decline in production per unit area (Qasim, 2024). Perhaps the most prominent of these problems is are lack of soil fertility and crop productivity. Fertilization processes and their timing are at the forefront of these problems, as they affect many traits that influence crop production. Providing adequate fertilization to a crop can reduce the flower drop and increase the production. Usage of chemical and organic fertilizers has become a vital strategy for improving crop growth and increasing productivity (Chinthapalli et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2024).

Moreover, organic fertilizers, such as compost, animal manure, and plant waste materials, improve the physico-chemical characteristics of the soils along with an enhancement of the edaphic microbial activities, which ultimately positively impacts the nutrients’ bioavailability and absorption by crop plants (Tian et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2024). In contrast, the chemical fertilizers provide rapidly absorbable nutrients to plants, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, but their excessive use can lead to soil degradation and environmental imbalance (Pahalvi et al., 2021). Organic fertilization is the foundation for increasing agricultural production and reducing environmental pollution resulting from the excessive application of different chemical and mineral fertilizers (Verma et al., 2019). Therefore, the usage of plant and animal wastes is essential for providing the required quantities of organic fertilizers to meet agricultural land needs (Gomaa and Afifi, 2021). The use of organic fertilizers has an indirect effect on the prevailing biological and physico-chemical properties of soils. Organic fertilizer is considered an important aspect of modern agriculture, particularly in sandy soils that are poor in organic matter (Brempong and Addo-Danso, 2022). Furthermore, it reduces the loss of nutrients from intensive irrigation, as organic matter is characterized by its ability to absorb both micro and macronutrients, making them more readily available in the rhizospheric zone (Pashaki et al., 2016; Al-Leela et al., 2019; Bashir et al., 2021).

One of the major chemical nutrients required by crop plants is phosphorus. It has a crucial role in plant physiology, regulating the biochemical processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and cell division (Khan et al., 2023). It is essential for root formation, flowering, and fruit development, and has a direct role in ADP and ATP synthesis (Rugheim and Abdelgani, 2012; Liu et al., 2022). Without sufficient phosphorus, plants cannot grow normally. Previous studies have used various methods to increase phosphorus availability in the soil, including different management methods to provide this element and the use of chemical fertilizers, which have achieved a 30-50% increase in yield (Al-Khafaji et al., 2018; Jasim and Mhanna, 2014). It is essential to ensure adequate concentrations of phosphorus in the soil and in a form readily available to the plant.

Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of different chemical and organic fertilizers on the productivity, growth rate, and seed quality of faba beans based on recent scientific studies. This study is important in identifying the most sustainable methods for growing fava beans, especially in light of the global trend toward organic farming and reducing chemical pollution.

Materials and Methods

Study site

This study was done at the farm area of the Suwaira Technical Institute, Department of Plant Production Technologies, located at a latitude of 31.50° N and longitude of 9.75° W, at an elevation of 11° above sea level.

 

Table 1: Some physical and chemical properties of the study soil.

Soil characteristics	Units	Values
pH		7.9
EC	DeS.m-1	3.9
Organic matter	g.kg-1 soil	1.2
Ca+2	m. mol .L-1	10.8
Mg+2		5.36
K+		0.54
Na+		5
Cl-1		15.8
SO4-		1.13
CO3-		Nil
HCO3-		4.5
Available nitrogen	mg. kg soil-1	25.22
Available phosphorus		14.5
Available potassium		160.8
Soil texture	g.kg-1	Silty loam (sand, silt and clay @ 180, 700 and 120, respectively)

 

Experimental layout

Faba bean plants were planted on November 6, 2024, in an agricultural field with silty loam soil (Table 1). The experimental layout was according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The first factor was the administration of an organic fertilizer @ 500 kg ha-1. The second factor was chemical fertilizer (DAP administered @ 500 kg ha-1) and a combined application of both organic and chemical fertilizer, with three replicates. Control treatment was without any type of fertilization. The size of the experimental unit area was about 2.25 m2. The land was plowed using a rotary plough, smoothed, and leveled. Plants were sown in rows with a spacing of 70 cm between rows. The seed rate used was 10 kg ha-1. Phosphate fertilizer was added @ 250 kg ha-1 at the plantation time, while nitrogen fertilizer was administered twice, firstly at the planting stage and secondly at the beginning of the flowering stage. The crop was irrigated as needed throughout the season until harvest.

 

Table 2: Effect of different fertilizer regimes on some vegetative characteristics of faba beans ((Vicia faba) plants.

Treatments	Number of branches plant-1	Plant height (cm)	Leaf area (cm2)	Stem diameter (mm)
Control	8.66	60.33	6.88	٢
DAP	14.66	79	13	٤
OM	12.33	72.33	7.88	٣
DAP+OM	15.33	109.33	20.57	٤.٦٦
LSD	1.45	7.39	3.23	٠.٢9

 

DAP = diammonium phosphate @ 500 kg ha-1; OM = organic manure 500 kg ha-1

 

Upon maturity, the crop was harvested from randomly selected one-meter rows from each treatment plot, and the morphological and productive characteristics of the crop were measured. From each experimental unit, three plants were randomly selected, harvested and weighed, and the seeds were counted. The dry weight of the plants was measured on the experimental plot, and the weight of the seeds was determined using a digital weigh balance.

Statistical analysis

The data regarding the vegetative and yield traits of plants were statistically analyzed using STATISTIX 8.1. Factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significance of the factors, followed by the comparison of treatment means using the least significant difference (LSD) post-hoc test at a standard (5%) level of significance.

Results and Discussion

Impact of treatments on the vegetative growth traits of faba bean plants

Statistical analysis of the data exhibited significant differences between the fertilizer types. However, no significant difference was observed regarding the effect of the interaction or combined application of treatments on the studied plant growth parameters (Table 2). The interaction of both fertilizer types exhibited the maximum average branch numbers plant-1 (15.33 branches plant-1), while the control treatment exhibited the minimum branch numbers (8.66 branches plant-1). This indicates that organic matter had an impact on the availability of nutrients and improved the absorption of the added DAP fertilizer (El-Mahdy et al., 2021), and it exhibited the maximum results in branch number (Table 2). Regarding average plant height, no significant differences were recorded between the control treatment and the DAP fertilization treatment. The interaction treatment of organic and mineral fertilizers exhibited maximum plant height (109.33 cm), while the control treatment exhibited the minimum plant height of 60.33 cm. Regarding the stem diameter, the interaction treatment exhibited the maximum stem diameter (4.66 mm), while the control treatment showed the minimum stem diameter (2 mm). This indicates that increased phosphorus availability, which in turn supported the increased stem diameter, is beneficial to the plant, as organic matter provides the greatest benefit to the plant from absorbing the added phosphorus, which works to resist plant lodging and grow more efficiently (Chinthapalli et al., 2015; Crous et al., 2015).

Similarly, a significant difference was recorded between the control treatment and the chemical fertilization treatment, showing 6.88 and 13 cm2, respectively. Significant differences were recorded among the binary and organic matter treatment and the control treatment, which yielded the highest leaf area of 20.57 cm2. There were no significant differences between the organic matter treatment and the control treatment. The interaction treatment exhibited the highest leaf area of 20.57 cm2 (Table 2). Leaf area increment actually increases the yield of the plants. The leaf is considered the primary source of plant nutrition, as it hosts all vital processes from organic synthesis and energy conversion to the plant, and is the source of nutrient absorption and respiration through the stomata. The fertilization treatment, which utilizes organic matter, helps to increase the availability of added phosphorus, resulting in higher plant vegetative growth, both in terms of plant height and leaf area (Mohamed and Gomaa, 2005; Fekadu et al., 2018; Ahmed et al., 2023).

 

Table 3: Effect of different fertilizer regimes on some yield-related characteristics of faba beans ((Vicia faba) plants.

Treatments	Number of pods plant-1	Number of seeds pod-1	Weight of 100 seeds (g)	Total yield (tones ha-1)
Control	17	3	٦٨	6.50
DAP	21	5	١٣٤	19.23
OM	23.33	5	١١٣	19.00
DAP+OM	24.66	7	١٢٧.٣٣	44.46
LSD	1.59	2.23	٤.٣٥	2.26

 

DAP = diammonium phosphate @ 500 kg ha-1; OM = organic manure 500 kg ha-1

 

Impact of fertilization treatments on yield-related traits of faba bean plants

Analysis of results depicted significant differences between the control treatment and fertilizer treatments (Table 3). The interaction treatment exhibited the maximum number of pods plant-1 (24.66 pods plant-1), not significantly different from the organic matter treatment (23.33 pods plant-1), while the control treatment exhibited the minimum number of pods (17 pods plant-1). These differences indicate that organic matter increases the availability of nutrients and phosphorus added to the soil and their absorption by the plant, which results in higher flowering and a higher number of pods per plant, as demonstrated by some previous studies (Chafi and Bensoltane, 2009; Dhary and Al-Baldawi, 2017; Yasmin et al., 2020; Chimdi et al., 2022).

Similarly, the interaction treatment exhibited the maximum number of seed pod-1 (7 seeds), while the control treatment exhibited the minimum number (3) of seed pod-1 (Table 3). Similarly, no significant difference was recorded among mineral or chemical, and organic fertilizers and their interaction treatment. Organic fertilizer would increase the phosphorus uptake, which would increase the seed numbers pod-1. As mentioned in previous studies, phosphorus plays a role in disease resistance, flower fertilization, and seed formation and maturation (Fouda, 2017; Liu et al., 2022; Khan et al., 2023). Moreover, the maximum and minimum average weight per 100 seeds were recorded for the interaction and control treatments, i.e., 127.33 and 68 g, respectively. The organic and mineral fertilizer treatments yielded 113 and 134 g, respectively. Regarding the total yield of faba beans, the maximum yield was exhibited by the interaction treatment (44.46 tons ha-1), while there was no significant difference between the two fertilizer types. The minimum total yield was recorded for the control treatment (6.50 tons ha-1) (Table 3).

Overall, there was no significant differences between the types of fertilizer treatments. However, there were significant differences between the two treatments and the interaction treatment. This difference indicates that organic fertilization improves soil properties and increases soil moisture, which upsurges the absorption of nutrients from the soil and increases the amount of added phosphorus, which improves the yield (Dhary and Al-Baldawi, 2017). These results corroborate the fact that organic fertilization increases the availability of nutrients, which in turn increases seed weight, which positively impacts the overall yield of the plant (Agegnehu et al., 2005; Osman et al., 2010; Abbas, 2013; Cucci et al., 2019).

Conclusions and Recommendations

Based on overall study results, it is concluded that the administration of organic and mineral fertilizers, particularly in interaction, would play an effective role in improving the growth characteristics, such as leaf area, number of branches per plant, and plant height. The mineral and organic fertilizers indeed play a crucial role in increasing yields, including the weight of 100 seeds, the number of seeds per pod, and the number of pods per plant, which is reflected in an increase in the total yield. These fertilizers complement each other, and their combined application yielded the maximum values of all studied parameters of faba bean plants.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank College of Education, Department Biology and Al-Nasr High School, Al-Diwaniyah Education for their support and provide tools for our experiments

Novelty Statement

This research is the interaction treatment, involving the combined application of both type of fertilizers, exhibited the highest values for all studied plant parameters including plant height, leaf area, stem diameter, number of branches plant-1, number of seeds pod-1, number of pods plant-1, weight of 100 seeds, and total yield ha-1.

Generative AI or AI assisted technology statement

The authors declare that no generative AI and AI assisted technology was used in the creation of this manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest.

References

Abbas, S.M. 2013. The influence of biostimulants on the growth and biochemical composition of Vicia faba cv. Giza 3 beans. Rom. Biotechnol. Lett., 18(2): 8061–8068.

Agegnehu, G., T. Bekele and A. Tesfaye. 2005. Phosphorus fertilizer and farmyard manure effects on the growth and yield of faba bean in acidic Nitisols. Ethiop. J. Nat. Resour., 7(1): 23–39.

Ahmed Al-Azee, A.J., A.H. Raheem and K.S. Azeez Al-Obaidy. 2023. Broad bean response to humic acid and phosphorus fertilizer. Nativa., 11(3): 48–421.

Al-Khafaji, H.H., M.S. Talib and K.F. Hadi. 2018. Effect of organic manure and plant population on faba bean. Res. Crop., 19(3): 405–408. https://doi.org/10.31830/2348-7542.2018.0001.7

Al-Leela, W.B., H.J. Al-Bayati, F.F. Rejab and S.Y. Hasan. 2019. Effect of chemical and organic fertilizer on broad bean. Mesopotamia J. Agric., 47(2): 73–82. https://doi.org/10.33899/magrj.2019.163181

Aschi, A., M. Aubert, W. Riah-Anglet, S. Nélieu, C. Dubois, M. Akpa-Vinceslas and I. Trinsoutrot-Gattin. 2017. Introduction of faba bean in crop rotation. Appl. Soil Ecol., 120: 219–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.003

Bangar, S.P. and P. Kajla. 2022. Global status and production of faba bean. In Faba Bean: Chem. Prop. Funct., pp. 1–15. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14587-2_1

Bashar, A.R., A.A. Khether and K. Region-Iraq. 2025. Faba bean yield response to planting dates and weed control. Euphrates J. Agric. Sci., 17(3): 250–267.

Bashir, O., T. Ali, Z.A. Baba … and R.A. Bhat. 2021. Soil organic matter and its impact on soil properties. In: Microbiota Biofertil., Vol. 2, pp. 129–159. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61010-4_7

Brempong, M.B. and A. Addo-Danso. 2022. Improving soil fertility with organic fertilizers. In New Gener. Org. Fert., IntechOpen.

Chafi, M. and A. Bensoltane. 2009. Vicia faba as organic and biological manure. World J. Agric. Sci., 5(6): 698–706.

Chimdi, A., D. Negasa and G. Chala. 2022. Effects of rhizobium and P fertilizer on faba bean. Appl. Environ. Soil Sci., 2022: 3635989. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3635989

Chinthapalli, B., D.T. Dibar, D.V. Chitra and M.B. Leta. 2015. Effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on faba bean and pea. Agric. For. Fish., 4(6): 263–268. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20150406.15

Crous, K.Y., A. Osvaldsson and D.S. Ellsworth. 2015. Phosphorus fertilisation in Eucalyptus woodland. Plant Soil., 391(1): 293–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2426-4

Cucci, G., G. Lacolla, C. Summo and A. Pasqualone. 2019. Effect of organic and mineral fertilization on faba bean. Sci. Hortic., 243: 338–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2018.08.051

Dhary, S.I. and M.H.K. Al-Baldawi. 2017. Response of faba bean varieties to plant-source organic fertilizers. Iraqi J. Agric. Sci., 48(4): 1148. https://doi.org/10.36103/ijas.v48i4.376

El-Mahdy, R.E., A. El-Azeiz, H. Eman and R. Faiyad. 2021. Yield and quality of faba bean under salt-affected soils. J. Soil Sci. Agric. Eng., 12(3): 89–98. https://doi.org/10.21608/jssae.2021.155164

El-Yazal, M.A.S. 2020. Organic manure with chemical fertilizers on broad bean. Sustain. Food Prod., 9: 23–36. https://doi.org/10.18052/www.scipress.com/SFP.9.23

Fekadu, E., K. Kibret, A. Melese and B. Bedadi. 2018. Yield of faba bean affected by lime, P, FYM, compost and rhizobium. Agric. Food Secur., 7(1): 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-018-0168-2

Fouda, K. 2017. Effect of phosphorus level and growth regulators on faba bean. Egypt. J. Soil Sci., 57(1): 73–87. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejss.2017.3593

Gomaa, I. and M. Afifi. 2021. Effect of organic fertilizers on faba bean. Al-Azhar J. Agric. Res., 46(1): 139–152. https://doi.org/10.21608/ajar.2021.218567

Jasim, A.H. and Q.L. Mhanna. 2014. Organic fertilizer treatments on broad bean yield. Sci. Pap. Ser. Agron., 57: 218–222.

Jasim, A.H., H.A. Atab and H.M. Abed. 2016. Chemical and organic fertilizers and foliar sprays on broad bean. Ann. West Univ. Timisoara Ser. Biol., 19(2): 149.

Jithesh, T., E.K. James, P.P. Iannetta, B. Howard, E. Dickin and J.M. Monaghan. 2024. Enhancing biological nitrogen fixation in faba bean. Plant Environ. Interact., 5(3): e10145. https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10145

Khan, F., A.B. Siddique, S. Shabala, M. Zhou and C. Zhao. 2023. Roles of phosphorus in plant stress responses. Plants, 12(15): 2861. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12152861

Liu, Y., X. Lan, H. Hou, J. Ji, X. Liu and Z. Lv. 2024. Organic fertilizers and abiotic stress tolerance. Agron., 14(6): 1141. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14061141

Liu, Z., Y. Xing, D. Jin, Y. Liu, Y. Lu, Y. Chen, D. Chen and X. Zhang. 2022. Improved N utilization of faba bean under combined fertilizers. Agriculture, 12(12): 1999. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12121999

Maalouf, F., S. Ahmed and Z. Bishaw. 2021. Faba bean. In: Beans Peas, pp. 105–131. Woodhead Publ. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821450-3.00008-1

Mekki, B.E.-D. 2016. Bio-organic and chemical fertilizers on faba bean growth and nutrients. Biosci. Res., 13(1): 8–14.

Ministry of Planning. 2020. Central Bureau of Statistics, Directorate of Agricultural Statistics.

Mohamed, H.A. and A. Gomaa. 2005. Faba bean growth and green yield under bio-organic farming. J. Appl. Sci. Res., 1(5): 350–385.

Osman, A.G., F. Elaziz and G.A. ElHassan. 2010. Biological and mineral fertilization on faba bean cv. Seleim. Pak. J. Nutr., 9(7): 703–708. https://doi.org/10.3923/pjn.2010.703.708

Pahalvi, H.N., L. Rafiya, S. Rashid, B. Nisar and A.N. Kamili. 2021. Chemical fertilizers and soil health. In Microbiota Biofertil., Vol. 2, pp. 1–20. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61010-4_1

Pashaki, K.M., G.R. Mohsenabadi, H. Boroumand and M. Majidian. 2016. Chemical, bio and vermicompost fertilizers on Vicia faba. Eur. Online J. Nat. Soc. Sci., 5(3): 683–697.

Qasim, S. 2024. Agriculture in Iraq. In Geogr. Iraq, pp. 117–143. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71356-9_6

Rugheim, A.M.E. and M.E. Abdelgani. 2012. Microbial and chemical fertilization on faba bean. Int. Food Res. J., 19(2): 471–422.
(Note: page range likely misprinted in source.)

Tian, S., B. Zhu, R. Yin, M. Wang, Y. Jiang, C. Zhang and M. Liu. 2022. Organic fertilization and soil aggregation. Soil Biol. Biochem., 165: 108533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108533

Verma, B.C., P. Pramanik and D. Bhaduri. 2019. Organic fertilizers for sustainable soil management. In Nutr. Dyn. Sustain. Crop Prod., pp. 289–313. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8660-2_10

Yasmin, W., S.K. Paul and M.P. Anwar. 2020. Growth, yield and quality of faba bean: sowing date and P fertilizer. Arch. Agric. Environ. Sci., 5(1): 11–17. https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2020.050102