Effect of biofertilizer application and foliar sprays of nano iron and nano zinc on soil nutrient availability and growth of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

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A field experiment was conducted in the Abi Gharq area, 10 km northwest of Babil Governorate, during 2023–2024, to investigate the effect of biofertilizer application and foliar sprays of nano iron and nano zinc on soil nutrient availability and the growth of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The experiment was arranged as a factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Three factors were evaluated: biofertilizer with three levels (control, Azotobacter 10 mL, and mycorrhizal fungi 10 g), nano iron foliar spray at three concentrations (0, 10, and 20 mg L?¹), and nano zinc foliar spray at three concentrations (0, 10, and 20 mg L?¹). The results showed significant effects of biofertilizer, nano iron, nano zinc, and their interactions on soil nutrient availability and tomato growth traits. Mycorrhizal fungi produced the highest mean values for available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, plant height, and number of fruits per plant. Nano iron and nano zinc applications significantly increased soil nutrient availability, plant height, number of fruits per plant, and fruit weight. The three-way interaction between mycorrhizal fungi, nano iron, and nano zinc recorded the highest values for available nitrogen (36.77 mg kg?¹), phosphorus (13.56 mg kg?¹), potassium (251.23 mg kg?¹), iron (6.36 mg kg?¹), zinc (2.79 mg kg?¹), plant height (139.9 cm), and number of fruits per plant (56.22 fruits plant?¹). The highest fruit weight (137.82 g) was recorded under the H0F2Z2 (no biofertilizer + nano iron 20 mg L?¹ + nano zinc 20 mg L?¹) treatment. The study aimed to evaluate the individual and combined effects of biofertilizer application and foliar nano-iron and nano-zinc sprays on post-harvest soil nutrient availability, vegetative growth and yield attributes of tomato.