Occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the roots of two grapevine cultivars in response to bioproducts

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of different bioproducts on the occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the roots of ‘Solaris’ and ‘Regent’ grapevine cultivars. The following bioproducts were used, alone or with mineral fertilization (NPK): Ausma, Bioilsa, manure and BF Ekomix. The highest mycorrhizal frequency was recorded in the roots of ‘Solaris’ after applying the bioproduct Ausma. For the ‘Regent’ cultivar, the highest mycorrhizal frequency was found in the plants treated with Ausma, BF Ekomix and manure. Colonization of grapevine roots by AM fungi was limited bymineral fertilization. After the combined use of bioproducts and mineral fertilizers, there was observed a tendency for minimized negative effect of mineral fertilization on the formation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Influence of biological products on the growth and development of large-fruited cranberry under greenhouse conditions

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of various biological fertilizers on the growth and development of plants of the large-fruited cranberry and the degree of mycorrhizal association in their roots under controlled conditions. Plants of the ‘Pilgrim’, ‘Stevens’ and ‘Ben Lear’ cranberry cultivars were planted in rhizoboxes filled with soils collected from the areas of Krojczyn and Motoga. The following experimental treatments with fertilizers were applied: control plants, plants fertilized with NPK, a bacterial-mycorrhizal consortium, Vinassa, lignite + Vinassa, Florovit Natura and the fertilizer Crop-UP. The study has shown that there was a tendency to stimulate the vegetative growth and development of cranberry plants through the use of bio-fertilizers and beneficial fungi obtained from the rhizosphere of these plants. There was a tendency for the fresh and dry weight of cranberry shoots to increase, especially in ‘Ben Lear’, under the influence of the bio-fertilizer Florovit Natura when compared with the control plants fertilized with NPK. Compared with the NPK control, all of the bio-fertilizers significantly increased mycorrhizal frequency in the roots of the tested plants of the large-fruited cranberry, with the exception of Crop-UP and lignite compost used in conjunction with Vinassa in ‘Stevens’. No statistically significant differences were obtained for plant size and root colonisation by ericoid fungi in the plants grown in the soil from the areas of Motoga and Krojczyn

Occurrence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Hemp (Cannabis sativa) Plants and Soil Fertilized with Sewage Sludge and Phosphogypsum

The colonization of soil and roots by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the formation of spores under the influence of fertilization with phosphogypsum and sewage sludge were examined. Identification of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was carried out in soil and in roots of outdoor experimental hemp plantation. Assessment of the colonization was carried out by molecular and microscopic methods. The material for the isolation of DNA consisted of soil samples taken from mycorrhizal soil and hemp roots of cv. Białobrzeskie, cv. Tygra, and cv. Beniko. In nested PCR reactions part of the small subunit (SSU) region, the region of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and part of large subunit (LSU) rDNA region were amplified. As a result of the cloning and sequencing of the DNA, it was found that the greatest similarity of the obtained sequences present in the samples of roots and soil was to the following species: Diversispora sp., Funneliformis sp., Glomus sp., Funneliformis mosseae, Glomus caledonium, Funneliformis geosporum, Glomus occultum. The colonization by the fungi was estimated and found to differ depending on the hemp cultivar and doses of fertilizers. Cultivar Tygra showed no negative impact on biomass production by intensive mycorrhization, proved its high tolerance to phosphogypsum and sewage sludge pollution, and responded positively regarding biomass production

APPLICATION OF THE MINIRHIZOTRON TECHNIQUE TO STUDYING THE ROOTS OF FRUIT PLANTS

Minirhizotron, a non-destructive technique is based on the application of transparent tubes, located in plant’s root zone. This method has been known since the beginning of 20th century and is used for plant root’s observations, especially in forest trees (Scots pine, Norway spruce, silver fir, birch), steppe grasses, vegetables and cereals. Minirhizotron technique is also applicable to pomological plants observations, mostly apples, but many others orchard species were observed with this method last years. The study of root growth dynamics in fruit plants using the non-destructive, minirhizotron method is conducted in the Pomological Orchard in Skierniewice. The objects of the observations are the roots of: apple trees cultivar. ‘Gold Milenium’, blackcurrant bushes cultivar ‘Tiben’ and sweet cherry cultivar ‘Vanda’. The observations were carried out monthly over a period of from March to November

Effect of Organic Cultivation on the Occurrence of Beneficial Groups of Microorganisms in the Rhizosphere Soil of Vegetable Crops

The article presents the results of research on the occurrence of beneficial groups of microorganisms in the rhizosphere of carrot, parsley and potato plants after the application of: (1) a commercial product EmFarma Plus (Probiotics Polska), (2) a consortium called Skierniewickie Microorganisms (MS) (containing three strains of Klebsiella oxytoca, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas sp.), and (3) Consortium MS together with EmFarma Plus. The study estimated the populations of microscopic fungi and bacteria, including the groups of microorganisms considered to be beneficial, i.e., spore-forming bacteria, fluorescent bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas, diazotrophs and actinomycetes. Applications of Consortium MS and, to a lesser extent, the preparation EmFarma Plus together with Consortium MS resulted in a significant increase in the total population of diazotrophs isolated from the rhizosphere soil of the vegetable species included in the study. There was no significant impact of the application of EmFarma Plus on the population size of the analyzed groups of microorganisms in the rhizosphere soil

Growth, Yielding and Healthiness of Grapevine Cultivars ‘Solaris’ and ‘Regent’ in Response to Fertilizers and Biostimulants

In the years 2008–2015, field experiments were conducted on the vines of cultivars ‘Solaris’ and ‘Regent’ grafted on SO4 rootstock. The following treatments: 1. control (untreated), 2. NPK (mineral fertilization 70 kg N·ha−1; 40 kg P·ha−1; 120 kg K·ha−1), 3. mycorrhizal substrate (AMF – Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi), 4. NPK + AMF, 5. manure (before planting), 6. NPK + manure (before planting), 7. Bioilsa, 8. NPK + Bioilsa, 9. BF-Ecomix, 10. NPK + BF-Ecomix, 11. Ausma and 12. NPK + Ausma were applied to evaluate the usefulness of biostimulants and mineral and organic fertilizers in organic grapevine production in “cool climate” conditions of Poland. The tests did not show a definite positive effect of the biostimulants and organic fertilizers on growth, yielding and healthiness of the cultivars ‘Solaris’ and ‘Regent’. There were no substantial differences in total marketable yield in the years 2009 to 2015 between control and other treatments. Grapevines planted in soil rich in minerals grew and yielded well despite no mineral fertilization for a number of years. In 2014, when the air humidity was high during vegetation, intensive rotting of the berries of cultivar ‘Solaris’, caused by Botrytis cinerea, was observed on plants fertilized with NPK

Initial growth and yield structure of selected cultivars of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) cultivated on mineral soils

A study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of cranberry cultivation on mineral soils and to assess the influence of vegetative biomass development, generative growth and yield components on the yielding of three cranberry cultivars originating in the USA (Stevens, Pilgrim and Ben Lear) at two locations in Poland. The key biometrical traits involved in yield formation were taken into account, and the soil and plant chemical conditions were evaluated. All of the measured biometrical characteristics were strongly influenced by the location and the year of cultivation, and varietal differences were also noted. The most important determinants that explained yield variation were: the number of uprights per square meter, floral induction and berry set. However, the participation of each component in yield variation was strongly affected by the location, age of plantation and to a minor extent by the cultivar. The study confirmed the possibility of cranberry cultivation on mineral soils with a low pH. The biggest average yield of the three years was collected from cv. Stevens as cultivated on sandy soil in contrast to the same cultivar grown on sandy loam soil. In the case of sandy loam soil after acidification, cv. Pilgrim appeared to be a relatively better yielding cultivar