The influence of a microbial inoculum on the enzymatic activity of peat and morphological features of the French marigold

Abstract

Summary. The objective of the study was to determine the dynamics of the enzymatic activity in a substrate containing a microbiological inoculum (Effective Microorganisms -EM) intended to improve French marigold growth and flowering. The material used in the study was peat substrate of 5.5-6.0 pH into which plants were planted and then inoculated with different doses of the EM biofertilizer (1 : 10, 1 : 50, 1 : 100). Samples of the substrate on which experimental plants were cultivated were collected during the following three phases: the phase of seedling planting, the phase of vegetative growth and the phase of flowering. The scope of investigations comprised determination of the activity of dehydrogenases, urease and acid phosphatase activity by the spectrophotometric method. In addition, the following plant morphological analyses were performed: plant height, shoot number and length, number of buds and inflorescences, and leaf greenness index (SPAD). It was found that the phase of plant development was proved to be the main determinant of the activity of the enzymes under study. The EM biofertilizer had positive * The study was supported by NCN (National Science Centre) grant no. N N305 0361 40.Wolna-Maruwka, A., Mocek-Płóciniak, A., Schroeter-Zakrzewska, A., Niewiadomska, A., Piechota, T., Swędrzyńska, D., Kosicka, D., . The influence of a microbial inoculum on the enzymatic activity of peat and morphological features of the French marigold. Nauka Przyr. Technol., 9, 4, #47. DOI: 10.17306/J. NPT.2015.4.47 2 effect on the acid phosphatase activity. However, the preparation did not have stimulating effect on the activity of urease or dehydrogenases. The EM biofertilizer concentrated at 1 : 100 and applied into the soil and foliage resulted in a larger number of darker leaves and greater number of inflorescences on the plants.

Impact of effective microorganisms on weed infestation and yield of peppermint cultivated on muck-peat soil

“…3 Plant fresh weight (g), yield of fresh and dry herb (kg ha −1 ), content of essential oils in the dry herb (%), and yield of essential oils (kg ha −1 ) as affected by the number of applications with EM preparation. Different authors stated positive, negative, or a nonsignificant influence of effective microorganisms on plant growth and yield depending on the species, cultivation method, EM application method, and the prevailing environmental conditions [5][6][7][8][9][10]13]. In the our study, EM preparation did not affect the growth and yield of peppermint plants cultivated in the field on peat-muck soil (Tab.…”

“…3). Similarly, Muthaura et al [7] did not find a significant influence of EM on amaranth shoot length and diameter and Wolna-Maruwka et al [8] for several growth traits of French marigold plants grown in a peat substrate under controlled greenhouse conditions. In our experiment, main shoot length, leaf length and width, plant weight, essential oil content, yield of oil and yield of fresh and the dry herb were higher in response to double EM spraying than in control plots.…”

“…In a greenhouse experiment conducted by Muthaura et al [7], soil inoculation with EM did not affect the shoot length and diameter or the number of leaves developed by amaranth (Amaranthus dubians), which is cultivated as a leafy vegetable in African countries. In another greenhouse experiment curried out by Wolna-Maruwka et al [8], EM did not affect plant height or inflorescence length of French marigold (Tagetes patula L.) grown in a peat substrate. Among nine EM treatments, only substrate watering with EM concentrated at 1:100 and plant spraying at 1:50 increased the number of shoots per plant.…”

“…However, on muck-peat soil, weed infestation is usually heavier and its control is more difficult than on mineral soil [19]. Wolna-Maruwka et al [8] stated that EM had a positive effect on the activity of acid phosphatases but not of urease and dehydrogenases in peat substrate.…”

Effect of Light Quality and Microbiological Inoculum on Geranium (Pelargonium zonale L.) Gas Exchange Parameters

“…The content of BAF1 includes not only rhyzospheric microorganisms, but also endophytes occurring on plant root surface. Hence the plant response, such as nutrient uptake, growth and photosynthetic activity can be different than to EM (Wolna-Maruwka et al, 2014, 2015.…”