Performance of pre-sprouted sugarcane seedlings in response to the application of humic acid and plant growth-promoting bacteria

Sugarcane cultivation using pre-sprouted seedlings has decreased the number of stalks used per hectare, increased the multiplication rate, improved seedling health, and increased planting uniformity. However, because this system has been only recently proposed, the number of studies evaluating this new technology is still scarce, particularly those examining the effect of the application of growth-promoting substances on seedling characteristics during the production phase. Here, we hypothesized that it is possible to combine the plant growth-promoting activity of humic acid (HA) with the inoculation of selected strains of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) to improve the yield of sugarcane seedlings compared with the individual application of these two techniques. The potential of the combined use of HA and PGPB as agricultural inputs was evaluated by conducting an experiment with sugarcane micro cuttings in a greenhouse. Treatments included control, PGPB, HA, and PGPB with HA. At the end of the experiment (60 d after planting), the plants were subjected to biometric evaluation. The results indicated that it was possible to combine HA with selected strains of PGPB (Burkholderia sp.) to improve the yield of seedlings compared with individual HA and PGPB treatments. HA, PGPB, and HA + PGPB increased the total dry matter compared with the control by 23%, 25%, and 36%, respectively. Therefore, the use of HA-based plant regulators in combination with PGPB was more effective than the isolated use of these inputs for the treatment of micro cuttings and improvement of sugarcane seedling yield

Initial performance of corn in response to treatment of seeds with humic acids isolated from bokashi

ABSTRACT The humified organic matter presents bioactivity similar to the auxinic effect. As bokashi is produced by a special process of humification, information is needed about the bioactive potential of its humic acids. The objective of this work was studying the initial performance of corn-indicator plants in response to the application of different concentrations of humic acids isolated from bokashi. The corn seeds were treated for 16 hours with solutions containing 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 80 mmol L-1 of C in the form of humic acids. Then, the seeds were planted in pots of 1 dm3 containing corrected and fertilized soil, in greenhouse. Growth characteristics of shoot and root systems were evaluated. The results showed that the humic acids extracted from bokashi had positive effects on the initial performance of corn

Relationships between soil quality indicators, redox properties, and bioactivity of humic substances of soils under integrated farming, livestock, and forestry

Once it is stabilized in the soil, organic matter minimizes limitations of Brazilian Oxisols, such as low cation exchange capacity, low nutrient availability, toxicity due to high aluminum content, and phosphate adsorption. Moreover, humified organic matter fractions are bioactive. It is, therefore, important to evaluate the biostimulant ability of compounds present in soil carbon stocks to develop sustainable technologies for tropical agriculture based on renewable natural resources. The objective of this research was to correlate some soil quality indicators, redox properties, and bioactivity of humic acids isolated from integrated farming, livestock, and forestry systems aiming to understand the mechanisms involved in plant stimulation by humified organic matter. Carbon stocks and their stability were determined from oxidation by dichromatometry and iodometry, respectively. Bioactivity was assessed using yield data of corn indicator plants. The results indicated that when native-like forests were reintroduced instead of pastureland, soil carbon stocks and their stability increased along with overall improvements in soil fertility, chemical and physical properties, and soil biodiversity. The bioactivity of humic substances isolated from soils used in integrated crop, livestock, and forestry management was higher than that of soils derived from pastures or eucalyptus alone.Uma vez estabilizada no solo, a matéria orgânica minimiza limitações intrínsecas dos Latossolos brasileiros, tais como, as baixas capacidade de troca de cátions e disponibilidade de nutrientes e elevadas toxidez por alumínio e adsorção de fosfatos. Adicionalmente, frações humificadas da matéria orgânica apresentam bioatividade, sendo, portanto, importante a avaliação da capacidade bioestimulante de compostos presentes nos estoques de carbono do solo, visando desenvolver tecnologias com bases em recursos naturais renováveis para a agropecuária tropical, com preservação ambiental. O presente trabalho objetivou correlacionar alguns indicadores de qualidade do solo, propriedades redox e bioatividade dos ácidos húmicos isolados de sistemas de integração lavoura, pecuária e florestas, visando compreender mecanismos da estimulação de plantas pela matéria orgânica humificada. Os estoques de carbono e as suas estabilidades foram determinados a partir da oxidação por dicromatometria e por iodimetria, respectivamente. A bioatividade foi obtida pelo desempenho inicial de plantas indicadoras de milho. Os resultados indicaram que houve aumento dos estoques de carbono no solo e nas suas estabilidades, além de melhorias gerais na fertilidade do solo, nos aspectos químicos, físicos e biológicos, com a reintrodução das florestas, em relação às pastagens, tendendo a assemelhar-se às matas nativas. A bioatividade das substâncias húmicas isoladas de solos manejados com integração lavoura, pecuária e florestas foi também superior a uso de apenas pastagens ou eucalipto isoladamente

Relationships between soil quality indicators, redox properties, and bioactivity of humic substances of soils under integrated farming, livestock, and forestry

ABSTRACT Once it is stabilized in the soil, organic matter minimizes limitations of Brazilian Oxisols, such as low cation exchange capacity, low nutrient availability, toxicity due to high aluminum content, and phosphate adsorption. Moreover, humified organic matter fractions are bioactive. It is, therefore, important to evaluate the biostimulant ability of compounds present in soil carbon stocks to develop sustainable technologies for tropical agriculture based on renewable natural resources. The objective of this research was to correlate some soil quality indicators, redox properties, and bioactivity of humic acids isolated from integrated farming, livestock, and forestry systems aiming to understand the mechanisms involved in plant stimulation by humified organic matter. Carbon stocks and their stability were determined from oxidation by dichromatometry and iodometry, respectively. Bioactivity was assessed using yield data of corn indicator plants. The results indicated that when native-like forests were reintroduced instead of pastureland, soil carbon stocks and their stability increased along with overall improvements in soil fertility, chemical and physical properties, and soil biodiversity. The bioactivity of humic substances isolated from soils used in integrated crop, livestock, and forestry management was higher than that of soils derived from pastures or eucalyptus alone

Ácidos húmicos

Qual é a estrutura molecular das substâncias húmicas? Ainda não foi possível encontrar a resposta. Há muita controvérsia e pouco consenso sobre as estruturas dessas substâncias. Destacam-se dois pontos principais: o acúmulo de informações e os desafios metodológicos. Esta revisão objetivou reunir informações sobre a natureza dos ácidos húmicos e suas funções nos ecossistemas naturais e agrários, visando ao manejo e à conservação, bem como às oportunidades tecnológicas para o desenvolvimento de novos insumos para a agricultura tropical

Gladiolus development in response to bulb treatment with different concentrations of humic acids Desenvolvimento do gladíolo em resposta ao tratamento dos bulbos com diferentes concentrações de ácidos húmicos

Gladiolus is an ornamental species produced for cut flowers and propagated by corms. The early flowering and increase in the number of flower buds, besides the production of commercial corms are constant challenges to be addressed in the crop improvement. Commercial production of ornamentals is technologically accelerated by means of growth regulators. Among them, the auxins stand out for their key role in the adventitious rooting and cell elongation. Alternatively, the humic substances present in the organic matter also have biostimulating effect, which is very similar to the auxinic effect. Therefore, this work aimed to study the growth and development of gladiolus in response to application of different concentrations of humic acids (HA) isolated from vermicompost. Corms were soaked for 24 hours in solutions containing 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mmol L-1 of C from HA. The corms were planted in 10-dm³ plastic bags filled with substrate and kept in a greenhouse. Growth of shoots and roots was evaluated. The results showed that the use of HA accelerates growth, and anticipates and increases flowering of Gladiolus.O gladíolo é uma planta ornamental para a produção de flores, cuja propagação é realizada por bulbos. A antecipação do florescimento e o aumento do número de botões florais, além da produção de bulbos comerciais, são problemas constantes a serem equacionados na cultura. A produção comercial de plantas ornamentais é tecnologicamente acelerada por meio de reguladores de crescimento. Dentre eles, vêm-se destacando as auxinas, hormônios vegetais com ação no enraizamento adventício e no alongamento celular. Alternativamente, as substâncias húmicas da matéria orgânica apresentam, também, efeito bioestimulante, muito semelhante ao efeito auxínico. Por essas razões, este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar o crescimento e desenvolvimento do gladíolo, em resposta à aplicação de diferentes concentrações de ácidos húmicos (AH), isolados de vermicomposto. Os bulbos foram imersos, por 24 horas, em soluções contendo 0, 10, 20, 30 e 40 mmol L-1 de C de AH. Em seguida, foram plantados em sacolas plásticas de 10,0 dm³, contendo substrato e mantidos em casa de vegetação. Foram avaliadas características de crescimento da parte aérea e do sistema radicular. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que o uso de AH acelera o crescimento, antecipa e aumenta a floração do gladíolo

Gladiolus development in response to bulb treatment with different concentrations of humic acids

Gladiolus is an ornamental species produced for cut flowers and propagated by corms. The early flowering and increase in the number of flower buds, besides the production of commercial corms are constant challenges to be addressed in the crop improvement. Commercial production of ornamentals is technologically accelerated by means of growth regulators. Among them, the auxins stand out for their key role in the adventitious rooting and cell elongation. Alternatively, the humic substances present in the organic matter also have biostimulating effect, which is very similar to the auxinic effect. Therefore, this work aimed to study the growth and development of gladiolus in response to application of different concentrations of humic acids (HA) isolated from vermicompost. Corms were soaked for 24 hours in solutions containing 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mmol L-1 of C from HA. The corms were planted in 10-dm³ plastic bags filled with substrate and kept in a greenhouse. Growth of shoots and roots was evaluated. The results showed that the use of HA accelerates growth, and anticipates and increases flowering of Gladiolus

Growth and production of ornamental sunflower grown in the field in response to application of humic acids

The humic acid fraction of organic matter has a stimulating effect on the growth and development of ornamental plants. This study investigated the response in growth and yield of field-grown ornamental sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) to the seed treatment with humic acids. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with three replications. Sunflower seeds were soaked in solutions of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40mmol L-1 C in the form of humic acids and then sown in the flower beds. At harvest, the flower stems were collected to determine the variables: stem height, stem diameter, fresh stem weight, number of leaves per stem, leaf fresh weight per stem, leaf dry matter per stem, number of flower stalks, and diameter of the floral receptacle. Data were subjected to regression analysis. The results showed increases in all variables in response to the application of humic acids, except in number of leaves per stem, which remained unchanged. The greatest increases usually resulted from concentrations from 15 to 20mmol L-1 C in the form of humic acid. It was concluded that the seed treatment with humic acid at the indicated concentrations increases the number and commercial quality of flower stalks of field-grown ornamental sunflower

Produtividade da alface (Lactuca sativa L.) em resposta à aplicação de ácidos húmicos e bactérias diazotróficas, em condições de campo

A alface é uma das hortaliças folhosas mais consumidas no Brasil, gerando grande demanda por seu cultivo. É cultura exigente em nutrientes e requer solo rico em matéria orgânica para obtenção de produtividade elevada, com necessidade de aplicação de grandes doses de compostos orgânicos, onerando os custos da produção. Ácidos húmicos (AH) e bactérias diazotróficas (B) apresentam hormônios vegetais, como auxinas, que promovem alongamento celular, aumento das raízes e da absorção de nutrientes, levando ao crescimento e desenvolvimento das plantas. Por essas características, podem ser utilizados como bioestimulantes na promoção da produtividade da alface. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade da alface em resposta à aplicação de ácidos húmicos e bactérias diazotróficas, em condições de campo. Os ácidos húmicos foram isolados de esterco bovino e as bactérias usadas foram provenientes da coleção de bactérias do Setor de Floricultura da Universidade Federal de Viçosa - Campus Florestal, extraídas de orquídeas Cymbidium sp.. O experimento foi realizado em condições de campo, com o cv. Vanda e os tratamentos usados foram controle (cultivo convencional do produtor), aplicação isolada de ácido húmico e bactéria e aplicação combinada de ácido húmico+bactéria. O delineamento adotado foi em blocos casualizados, com cinco repetições. A aplicação dos bioestimulantes foi realizada logo após o transplantio. Foram avaliados atributos fitotécnicos da parte aérea das plantas. Concluiu-se que os tratamentos utilizados, principalmente a combinação AH+B, aumentaram a produtividade da alface.Lettuce is one of the most consumed leafy vegetables in Brazil, generating great demand for its cultivation. It demands nutrients and a soil rich in organic matter to achieve high productivity, requiring large doses of organic compounds, leading to high production costs. Humic acids (HA) and diazotrophic bacteria (B) contain plant hormones, such as auxins, which promote cell elongation and increase of roots and absorption of nutrients, leading to plant growth and development. Due to these characteristics, they can be used as biostimulants in promoting lettuce productivity. The objective of this work was to evaluate the productivity of lettuce in response to the application of humic acids and diazotrophic bacteria under field conditions. The humic acids were isolated from bovine manure and the bacteria originated from the collection of bacteria from the Floriculture Sector of the Federal University of Viçosa - Campus Florestal, extracted from Cymbidium sp. orchids. The experiment was carried out in field conditions with cv. Vanda and the treatments were control (producer’s conventional cultivation), isolated applications of humic acid and bacterium, and combined application of humic acid + bacterium. A randomized block design with five replications was used. The application of biostimulants was carried out shortly after transplanting. Plant attributes of the aerial parts were evaluated. It was concluded that the treatments used, mainly the HA + B combination, increased lettuce productivity

Corn initial vigor in response to humic acids from bovine manure and poultry litter

O milho é cultivado em todo o país, produzindo quantidades variáveis conforme o investimento em tecnologia. Dentre essas tecnologias, destaca-se o uso de sementes melhoradas, associadas com adequado manejo integrado dos fatores de produção, tais como a correção e fertilização dos solos, a irrigação, o controle fitossanitário e de competidores e, mais recentemente, o uso de biorreguladores, buscando otimizar a produtividade. De forma análoga aos reguladores de crescimento sintéticos, como as auxinas, as substâncias húmicas da matéria orgânica apresentam um efeito estimulante em plantas. Contudo, a bioatividade e a concentração ótima das substâncias húmicas variam de acordo com as espécies vegetais e com matérias primas das quais elas foram isoladas. Por essas razões, este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar o crescimento e desenvolvimento do milho, em resposta à aplicação de diferentes concentrações de ácidos húmicos, via tratamento de sementes. Os tratamentos constituíramse de duas fontes de ácidos húmicos (esterco bovino e cama de aviário) utilizando cinco concentrações (0, 10, 20, 30 e 40 mmol L-1 de C) das respectivas soluções, aplicado via tratamentos de sementes em um bioensaio conduzido em casa de vegetação. Ao final do experimento (45 dias após a germinação), as plantas foram avaliadas biometricamente e nutricionalmente. Os resultados mostraram incrementos  significativos no crescimento e desenvolvimento da parte aérea e do sistema radicular, e acumulo significativo dos nutrientes N e P com a aplicação de ácidos húmicos isolados de esterco bovino, sendo que os mesmos não ocorreram com a aplicação de ácidos húmicos isolados de cama de aviário. Assim o uso de bioestimulantes à base de ácidos húmicos isolados de esterco bovino é positivo e complementar comparativamente aos insumos geralmente usados no tratamento de sementes de milho. Corn is grown throughout the country, with its yields varying according to the technology investment. Among the technologies that seek to optimize productivity, the focus is on the use of improved seeds, which is associated with the properly integrated management of production factors such as pH adjustment and soil fertilization, irrigation, pest control and competitors, and more recently, the use of plant growth regulators. Analogous to synthetic growth regulators such as auxins, humic substances in organic matter have a stimulating effect on plants. However, the bioactivity and optimum concentration of humic substances vary with the type of plant and the type of raw materials used for their isolation. This work aimed to study the growth and development of maize in response to the treatment of seeds by different concentrations of humic acids. The treatments involved the application of two sources of humic acid (bovine manure and poultry litter) and five concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mmol L-1 of C) of humic acid solutions to seeds in a bioassay carried out in a greenhouse. At the end of the experiment (45 days after germination), plants were evaluated biometrically and nutritionally. The results showed a significant increase in the growth and development of shoots and roots, and there was a significant accumulation of N and P after the application of humic acid isolated from bovine manure. These effects did not occur with the application of humic acid isolated from poultry litter. Therefore, biostimulation by humic acids isolated from bovine manure showed positive results and was complementary as compared to the effects of other inputs commonly used in the treatment of maize seeds