Exploring the Synergy between Humic Acid Substances, Dehydrogenase Activity and Soil Fertility
Katarzyna Kagan,
Weronika Goraj,
Agnieszka Kuźniar,
Anna Kruczyńska,
Anna Sochaczewska,
Andrzej Słomczewski,
Agnieszka Wolińska
Affiliations
Katarzyna Kagan
Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1 I Str., 20-708 Lublin, Poland
Weronika Goraj
Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1 I Str., 20-708 Lublin, Poland
Agnieszka Kuźniar
Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1 I Str., 20-708 Lublin, Poland
Anna Kruczyńska
Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1 I Str., 20-708 Lublin, Poland
Anna Sochaczewska
Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1 I Str., 20-708 Lublin, Poland
Andrzej Słomczewski
CGFP Ltd., Wojnowo 5, 86-014 Sicienko, Poland
Agnieszka Wolińska
Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1 I Str., 20-708 Lublin, Poland
The European Commission’s “Farm to Folk” (F2F) strategy recommends reducing fertilizers by at least 20% by 2030. In this aspect, the main goal of our study was to verify whether a 20 and even 40% reduction in nitrogen (N) fertilization rate would be sufficient to maintain soil fertility (expressed as dehydrogenase activity—DHA, humic acid substances—HA substances, E4/E6 ratio), and yields of wheat and rapeseed cultivated in strip-till technology. Two fields (10 ha each) were established for wheat and rapeseed cultivation, and soils (0–20 cm) were sampled before sowing and after harvesting. It was found that a 20% fertilization reduction does not adversely affect the biological activity expressed by DHA. Nevertheless, the reduction in nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates led to a slight decrease in the E4/E6 ratio, which could serve as a potential indicator of fertilization reduction. DHA, E4/E6 ratio and content of HA substances were also dependent on the crop. Following harvesting, both rapeseed and wheat exhibited a positive correlation between the E4/E6 ratio and the degree of fertilization rate (FR), as well as yield.
