The pertinent study investigated during autumn 2022 the effects of different fertilizer combinations and plant spacing on broccoli at the University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq, to improve the broccoli plant’s growth and productivity. The first factor comprised two planting distances (35 and 45 cm), and the second factor consisted of six levels of five different mineral fertilizer combinations obtained from N₁₅P₁₅K₁₅S₁₅ (rate of 400 kg/ha) and N₁₀P₅K₇S₁₀Mgo_2.5Fe_0.5Zn_0.019 (rate of 400 kg/ha), with a control (no fertilizer) as the check. Thus, the experiment used 12 treatments in a randomized complete block design with factorial arrangement and three replications. Results revealed that the broccoli plants cultivated at a 45 cm distance showed a considerable rise in the number of leaves compared with those planted at a 35 cm distance. The significant effects of different plant spacing also have varied impacts on the yield characteristics of broccoli. The varying fertilizer applications also enhanced substantially some broccoli’s growth and yield characteristics. Considerably, the interaction of fertilizer combinations and plant spacing also significantly influenced positively the broccoli’s growth and yield traits.

Keywords: Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.), plant spacing, fertilizer combinations, macro- and microelements, growth and yield traits

Key findings: Results revealed that broccoli plants cultivated at a 45 cm distance showed a considerable improvement in growth traits compared with a plant spacing of 35 cm. The fertilizer combinations also significantly enhanced the growth and yield traits. The fertilizer combinations substantially interacting with plant spacing were consistent with the influence obtained through the single factor.