Effect of biofertilizers and rhizospheric bacteria on growth and root ultrastucture of lettuce

Abstract

Biofertilization is a technique that uses plant and animal wastes to add organic matter and nutrients to the soil. It can also use microorganisms that can metabolize these by-products to facilitate their absorption by the plant roots. In this study, we tested the effects of rhizospheric bacteria inoculation (T1), a combination of rhizospheric bacteria with liquid fertilizer (T2) and uncombined liquid fertilizer (T3), on the growth, nutritional content, root tissue, and root cells of lettuce plants. The results showed significant positive differences in all treatments compared to control plants, in terms of morphological, nutritional, and productivity parameters. The combination of rhizospheric bacteria with liquid SEFEL fertilizer (T2) yielded the best results, showing increased fresh and dry weight, and diameter. There were no differences between treatments for nutritional content, but each treatment outperformed the control by more than 700% for all macronutrients. The best result was phosphorus content for T1, with 1272.22% more than control. Regarding root structure and ultrastructure, there was no variation in tissue organization compared to control plants, but increases in root hairs (T1), development of transfer cells (T2), and secondary growth (T3) were observed. Additionally, colonization of roots by rhizospheric bacteria was confirmed in all three treatments. In conclusion, this study suggests that inoculating with rhizospheric bacteria is a viable and environmentally friendly biofertilization for lettuce plants.

Application of a Polyphosphate Fertilizer Treatment Enhances the Growth Rate of Lettuce Seedlings in a Commercial Plant Factory

“…Therefore, if the initial growth rate is increased, the production cycle of lettuce in plant factories can be shortened, and economic profitability can be increased. Lettuce is a cool-season vegetable (Sublett et al, 2018), and its growth is affected by internal and external factors such as environmental conditions and the nutrient supply (Rizkiana et al, 2021;Montesdeoca-Flores et al, 2024).…”

Effects of Processed Red-clay and Microbial Fertilizer Containing Lactobacillus fermentum on Tomato Growth Characteristics, and Fruit Quality Levels

“…Fortunately, processed red clay (PRC; Patent #0886082, Republic of Korea) is designed to remove impurities and enhance mineral bioavailability and to improve soil fertility and microbial activity (Jung et al, 2014;Yoon et al, 2016). Biofertilization utilizes plant and animal wastes to enrich soil with organic matter and nutrients, employing microorganisms to metabolize these by-products for enhanced absorption by plant roots (Montesdeoca-Flores et al, 2024). Certain types of lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillus fermentum, are renowned biofertilizers for enriching agriculture as they can solubilize minerals such as silicates and phosphates (Jo et al, 2017;Kalayu, 2019;Bist et al, 2020).…”