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The Effect of Different Carrier Materials on the Growth and Yield of Spinach under Pot and Field Experimental Conditions

Author

Listed:
  • Hira Safdar

    (Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan)

  • Moazzam Jamil

    (Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan)

  • Azhar Hussain

    (Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan)

  • Bedur Faleh A. Albalawi

    (Department of Biology, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 47512, Saudi Arabia)

  • Allah Ditta

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, Upper Dir 18000, Pakistan
    School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA 6009, Australia)

  • Abubakar Dar

    (Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan)

  • Ayesha Aimen

    (Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan)

  • Hafiz Tanvir Ahmad

    (Provincial Reference Fertilizer Testing Laboratory, Raiwind, Lahore 55150, Pakistan)

  • Qudsia Nazir

    (Soil Chemistry Section, Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad 38850, Pakistan)

  • Maqshoof Ahmad

    (Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan)

Abstract

Long-term use of chemical fertilizers is affecting the environment, soil quality, and biodiversity. Organic agriculture is gaining global attention by using microbial-based biofertilizers. Carriers protect microbes by providing nutrition, energy, and suitable conditions for their survival while entering the natural environments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of different carrier materials to enhance the yield and the quality of spinach and to select the best carrier material for spinach biofertilizer. Three pre-isolated and characterized bacterial strains (AN-35, ZM-27, and ZM-63) were tested for their compatibility and used in this experiment through seed inoculation with organic carriers, i.e., compost, peat, press mud, biochar, and charcoal. A pot experiment and a field experiment were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different organic carriers. The results of the pot study showed a significant increase in spinach growth, i.e., shoot length (25%), shoot fresh weight (24%), root length (25%), and root fresh weight (29%), spinach nutrition, i.e., nitrogen (18%), phosphorus (22%), potassium (15%), iron (17%), and zinc (14%), spinach physiology, i.e., relative water content (27%), chlorophyll content (9%), and the membrane stability index (28%) under peat coated treatments with 24% more soil microbial populations compared to the control. Similarly, in the field experiment, peat coating significantly enhanced spinach growth, i.e., shoot length (29%), shoot fresh weight (23%), root length (16%), and root fresh weight (24.7%), spinach nutrition, i.e., nitrogen (16%), phosphorus (19%), potassium (15%), iron (17%), and zinc (23%), spinach physiology, i.e., relative water content (28%), chlorophyll content (13%) and the membrane stability index (32%), and spinach yield per hectare (30%), as well as producing 20% higher soil microbial populations. From these results, it is concluded that peat is a good carrier material for biofertilizer production as it not only enhances crop production but also the microbial number, in addition to improving soil quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Hira Safdar & Moazzam Jamil & Azhar Hussain & Bedur Faleh A. Albalawi & Allah Ditta & Abubakar Dar & Ayesha Aimen & Hafiz Tanvir Ahmad & Qudsia Nazir & Maqshoof Ahmad, 2022. "The Effect of Different Carrier Materials on the Growth and Yield of Spinach under Pot and Field Experimental Conditions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-15, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:19:p:12255-:d:926815
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hafiz Muhammad Rashad Javeed & Mazhar Ali & Imtiaz Ahmed & Xiukang Wang & Ibrahim Al-Ashkar & Rafi Qamar & Abdullah Ibrahim & Muhammad Habib-Ur-Rahman & Allah Ditta & Ayman EL Sabagh, 2021. "Biochar Enriched with Buffalo Slurry Improved Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Dynamics, Nutrient Uptake and Growth Attributes of Wheat by Reducing Leaching Losses of Nutrients," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Nur Okur, 2018. "A Review- Bio-Fertilizers- Power of Beneficial Microorganisms in Soils," Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, Biomedical Research Network+, LLC, vol. 4(4), pages 4028-4029, May.
    3. Becky Nancy Aloo & Ernest Rashid Mbega & Billy Amendi Makumba & John Baptist Tumuhairwe, 2022. "Effects of Carrier Materials and Storage Temperatures on the Viability and Stability of Three Biofertilizer Inoculants Obtained from Potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) Rhizosphere," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-12, January.
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