Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXVII, Issue 1
Written by Ali COSKAN, Muvahhid KILICARSLAN
Natural minerals are essential plant nutrient resources that can be used as natural fertilizers for cultivated plants. Bacterial inoculation improves plant-available elements in these materials. This pot experiment investigated the effects of Fe or Mn-containing natural minerals incorporation into the soils, either alone or with PGPR, on biomass development and some microelement concentrations. Fe and Mn doses were selected as 0, 100, and 200 kg ha-1. The results revealed that Fe treatments promoted the biomass development of the maize plant. Bacteria inoculation increased biomass; however, the effect was statistically insignificant. In terms of mean values, increasing iron doses increased the iron concentration in the plant steadily. Bacteria inoculation increased iron uptake by 29%. Similarly, manganese-containing substrate treatments increased the biomass yield of the plant. Plant root weight and plant height were not statistically affected by manganese treatments. Dual application of manganese-containing material and bacteria inoculation increased the manganese concentration by 28%. The results clearly showed that natural minerals can be used to increase the nutrient concentration of the plant, while bacteria application further improves the uptake by about one-third. It is recommended to apply natural minerals together with the respective bacteria.
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