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Abstract The experiments were carried out at Sakha Protected Cultivation Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh Governorate during the winter season of 2010/11 and 2011/12 on sweet pepper cv. Khairat F1 under unheated plastic house. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of soil fertilization (compost, chemical and/or biofertilizers) and foliar nutrition with either biostimulants (seaweed extract, amino acids or compost tea) or chemical nutrients on vegetative growth, yield and fruit quality as well as leaf chemical analysis of plant and soil biological activity. The results can be summarized as follows: Application of the combined treatment of chemical and biofertilizers with compost produced the highest values of vegetative growth parameters (plant height, number of leaves and branches/plant and area of the 6th leaf), yield (early and total), TSS, ascorbic acid and soil biological activity, while chemical fertilizer treatment increased nitrate content in fruits. All foliar nutrition treatments increased plant height and number of leaves and branches per plant, total fruit yield, ascorbic acid and P and K contents in leaves, while fruit quality (length, diameter, L:D ratio and TSS) and leaf chlorophyll content were not significantly affected by foliar nutrition. The combinations between chemical and biofertilizers with compost and foliar nutrition with chemical nutrients, amino acid (Ruter) or seaweed extract (Oligo X) were the most profitable treatments for producing sweet pepper plants under Kafrelsheikh conditions and similar areas. |