Effect of Light Quality and Microbiological Inoculum on Geranium (Pelargonium zonale L.) Gas Exchange Parameters

Geranium plants were cultivated in a growth chamber with different light quality and microorganism inoculation conditions. The long-term effect of irradiance quality (LED and fluorescent) as well as two types of microorganism treatments on photosynthetic activity parameters was examined. The maximum reached values of net photosynthesis rate (PN), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) were afterwards measured in plants cultivated under six colours of light – white, white-blue, blue, red, red-blue and green – emitted by two types of lamp: LED and fluorescent. Two types of microorganism treatments were used: BAF1 created in the Department of General and Environmental Microbiology and the commonly used Effective Microorganisms (EM) biopreparation. A highest level of PN were found in plants after cultivation under white-blue light (both – fluorescent and LED) and treated by BAF1. The positive effect of EM was only noted in the case of plants cultivated under blue-red fluorescent light. Considering plants without microbial inoculation the highest levels were recorded in plants under red and blue light. The comparison of the effect of light quality revealed that in all colours a higher or similar level of net photosynthetic rate was noted in plants under LEDs. Mostly the higher photosynthetic activity was connected with higher stomatal opening as well as with higher transpiration rate, which is especially true for plants cultivated under red and blue LED light

Study on NPK Performance in Food Waste Composting by Using Agricultural Fermentation

Food waste represents almost 60% from the total municipal solid waste disposed in the landfill. Alternative disposal method for food waste could be conducted by using composting method. In this study, investigationon food waste composting by using agricultural fermentation was carried out to find out the performance of the compost. Two types of compost were produced which were commercial compost and research compost and total of 8 reactors were tested during this study. Research compost consist of coconut fiber (decomposing medium) and the combination of salt and breadfruit peels as the fermentation liquid, while rice husk was used as decomposing medium for commercial compost along with fermented soybeanand brown sugar as fermentation liquid. Physical and chemical parameters which are temperature, pH value, moisture content, Total Nitrogen (N), Total Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) concentration were determined. Based on the results of 20 weeks composting, the overall temperature range from 27 °C to 45 °C which shown the active phase for composting occurred. On the other hand, during the period of composting, most of the pH value in each reactor is above 5 and approximately at neutral. This shown that the microbial respiration in the composting reactor was inhibited and had approached the mature phase. As for NPK content, Total Nitrogen value range from 98 ppm to 2268 ppm for commercial compost, while 84 ppm to 2240 ppm for research compost. Total Phosphorus has the values of0.871 ppm to 11.615 ppm for commercial compost and 1.785 ppm to 14.143 ppm for research compost. On the other hand, result for potassium is from 91.85 ppm to 645.55 ppm for commercial compost and from 133.95 ppm to 686.2 ppm for research compost. As a conclusion from the results obtained, the compost in this study is sufficient to be use for agricultural purposes and the best performance of NPK value was demonstrated by Reactor C2 from research compost

The effect of sewage sludge and BAF inoculant on plant condition and yield as well as biochemical and microbial activity of soil in willow (Salix viminalis L.) culture as an energy crop

Excessive amounts of sewage sludge produced in sewage treatment plants along with the ban on its storage and dumping require rapid solutions to the problem of sewage sludge management. An example of a rational and environmentally viable method may be provided by its application in agriculture and environmental management. The optimal solution is to use sludge as a fertiliser for industrial plants, including energy crops, that is, those not used in food production. For environmental reasons it is essential to control soil quality and condition following sludge application. Analyses of the residual effect of sewage sludge and bacteria, actinobacteria, fungi microbial inoculant (BAF) on selected physiological parameters of plants and microbial activity of soil were conducted in the years 2013–2015 on experimental fields of the Poznan University of Life Sciences. The results indicate that the application of sewage sludge increased yields and improved selected photosynthesis activity and biometric traits of willow. Among the tested combinations the best results were obtained following the application of sewage sludge combined with the BAF medium microbial inoculant. Similar dependencies were observed when evaluating soil microbial activity

In vitro co-inoculation of maize seedlings with diazotrophic bacteria

Wiele prac badawczych potwierdza korzystny wpływ preparatów mikrobiologicznych na rozwój roślin. W wielu krajach odnotowano pozytywne efekty szczepienia roślin diazotroficznymi bakteriami endofitycznymi na poziom związanego przez nie azotu oraz wpływu na kondycję roślin. W ostatnich latach efektywnym zabiegiem okazała się koinokulacja roślin różnymi szczepami bakterii. Celem badań prezentowanych w pracy było przedstawienie wpływu szczepienia kukurydzy bakteriami diazotroficznymi: Rhizobium leguminosarum odmiany trifolii oraz Rhizobium leguminosarum odmiany phaseoli i Azospirillum doebereinerae. Przeprowadzone badania miały na celu określenie wpływu łącznego zastosowania obu szczepów na kondycję i rozwój badanej rośliny oraz poziom związanego przez nie azotu. Efekt wiązania azotu przez użyte w doświadczeniu szczepy bakterii był niewielki, niezależnie od rodzaju użytych do szczepienia mikroorganizmów. Stwierdzono natomiast różnice indeksu zieloności liścia oraz stopnia zasiedlenia korzeni przez mikroorganizmy, w zależności od zastosowanego rodzaju szczepienia kukurydzy.Many research works confirm positive effects of plant treatment with microbiological preparations. The commonly known phenomenon of inoculation of legume plants with the nodule bacteria inoculum is widely applied in agricultural practise. In the recent years, studies have been intensified on the application of endophytic bacteria to economically important plants for the same purpose. In many countries, positive effects have been recorded of the inoculation of plants with diazotrophic endophytic bacteria on plant condition and the amount of fixed nitrogen. In the recent years, particular interest has been devoted to the application of plant inoculation with different bacterial strains. The objective of this study was to recognise the effect of maize inoculation with two varieties of diazotrophic bacteria Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii and phaseoli and with Azospirillum doebereinerae. The experiments were aimed to demonstrate the effect of the cumulated application of both strains on the development of studied plants and to determine the amount of fixed nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation by bacterial strains used in the experiment was not high, irrespective of the type of microorganisms used for inoculation. Differences were, however, found in the leaf greenery index in relation to the applied inoculation of maize. Furthermore, the number of bacteria in the root tissue indicated significant differences in root colonisation by microorganisms

Kraft Lignin Grafted with Polyvinylpyrrolidone as a Novel Microbial Carrier in Biogas Production

The objective of this study was to verify the effect of kraft lignin as a microbial carrier on biogas/methane yield. An anaerobic co-digestion test process was carried out, in which confectionery waste was used with sewage sludge. At the first stage of the study pure lignin and lignin combined with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were subjected to an extensive physicochemical analysis. Their morphology, dispersion and adsorption properties were determined. The two materials were also subjected to thermal, spectroscopic and elementary analysis. The anaerobic digestion of the two substrates was carried out with and without the addition of the carrier, under mesophilic conditions and in periodic operation. The monitoring and analysis of the two essential parameters, i.e., pH and volatile fatty acids/total alkalinity (VFA/TA) ratio, revealed that the process was stable in both tests. Microbial and biochemical analyses showed intensified proliferation of eubacteria and increased dehydrogenase activity in samples prepared with the lignin + PVP material. The cell count increased by 46% in the stuffed wafers (WAF) + sewage sludge (SS) variant with the carrier, whereas the enzyme activity increased by 43%. Cell immobilisation noticeably improved the process efficiency. The biogas production increased from 722 m3 Mg−1 VS to 850 m3 Mg−1 VS (VS ⁻ volatile solids), whereas the methane production increased from 428 m3 Mg−1 VS to 503 m3 Mg−1 VS (by about 18%). The research proved that lignin could be used as a very effective microbial carrier in anaerobic digestion (AD)