Comparison of soil bioconditioners and standard fertilization in terms of the impact on yield and vitality of Lolium perenne and soil biological properties

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the influence of selected soil bioconditioners and traditional fertilisation P+K+Ca on the vitality and yield of Lolium perenne and on the microbiological state of soil. The study was conducted between 2008 and 2009 – it was based on a field experiment started in 2006, in Brody, at the Agricultural Experiment Station of the Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland. The factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, with three replications. Two experimental factors were used: - non-nitrogen fertilisation (Physio-Mescal G18, PRP-SOL, Effective Microorganisms, Effective Microorganisms + Ca, P+K+Ca); - nitrogen fertilisation (N0 and N200 kg ha-1). The following parameters were measured: the yield of dry matter of perennial ryegrass, the plants’ vitality (chlorophyll concentration), the count of selected groups of soil microorganisms (heterotrophic, oligotrophic, copiotrophic bacteria, actinobacteria, fungi), soil enzymatic activity (dehydrogenases, acid phosphatase), and soil pH. The experiment showed that the bioconditioners were not an alternative to traditional mineral fertilisation, especially to nitrogen fertilisation, as a basic yield factor, but they could be a very valuable supplement to this fertilisation, and help to maintain the right biological potential of soil and its fertility, especially in the places where no manure or other non-chemical fertilisers are used.

Keywords

• chlorophyll
• enzymatic activity of soil
• perennial ryegrass
• soil microorganisms