Peatland nutrient status and Liberica coffee seedlings growth as a response to biofertilizer

Abstract

Knowing the nutrient status of growing media is a strategy for precision agriculture. The research aims to study the Liberica coffee seedling response to the nutrient status of peat under the influence of bio-fertilizer. The experiment used a completely randomized design in a factorial treatment arrangement with six replications. 1st factor was peat types; fibric, hemic, and sapric and 2nd factor were inoculated and non-inoculated peat by cellulolytic bacteria. Liberica coffee seedlings were found very responsive to P2O5 and Ca deficiencies, so the growth was not optimal on sapric, whereas the seedlings did not seem to respond to the low K status in fibric. The enrichment of cellulolytic bacteria increased the P2O5 of sapric from deficiency (6.84 ppm) to high (12.25 ppm), although the effect was not yet significant to improve the seedling growth. By cellulolytic bacteria enrichment, stem diameter, stem height, and leaves numbers of Liberica coffee seedlings on fibric added 2.33 mm, 9.25 cm, 3.75 strands, on hemic added 3.05 mm, 7.75 cm, and 4.25 strands and on sapric added 2.18 mm, 2.25 cm, and 1.25 strands, respectively. This study was the first step to getting more precise fertilizers for Liberica coffee planting on peatlands.