Improving the efficiency of fertilization by co-depositing organo-mineral and bacterial fertilizers
Based on the works of prominent academicians and scientists who testify to the stimulating effect of microorganisms on seed germination and their role in plant nutrition, we have conducted a series of studies aimed at increasing the efficiency of row fertilization.
Influence on seed germination and energy
To determine the influence of co-depositing fertilizers in rows and bacterial fertilizer on seed germination and energy, an experiment was established with winter and spring wheat. Observations showed that treatment of wheat seeds (varieties No. 1 and No. 2) with phosphobacterin in soil culture increases germination energy by 3–9% and field germination by 5–13%.
Influence on the development of the root system
To study the effect of combining granular potassium humate with phosphobacterin on the development of the root system of winter and spring wheat, vegetative and lysimetric experiments were established. Repeated washing of the root system showed that simultaneous application of fertilizers has a positive effect on the development of the root system, especially at the beginning of growth, with the effect persisting in later stages of plant development.
co-depositing potassium humate and phosphobacterin caused intensive growth of primary roots of spring and winter wheat in length. This combination contributed to the formation of a larger number of primary and secondary roots with further plant growth. For example, when washing the root system of spring wheat in the tillering phase, it was established that in the variant with potassium humate alone, the total number of roots in 100 plants was 730 for variety No. 1, and due to the introduction of phosphobacterin it increased by 163. For variety No. 2, the increase was 396 roots.
In the autumn washing of the root system of winter wheat in the phase of three full leaves, it was found that the introduction of potassium humate increased the total root mass by 27% compared with the unfertilized variant, and the addition of phosphobacterin increased root mass by 211%. This was due to the penetration of roots into deeper soil layers and the coverage of a larger volume of soil — a source of nutrition and moisture.
Influence on aboveground mass and the rudimentary spike
Co-depositing potassium humate and phosphobacterin significantly increased the growth of aboveground mass. Observations of changes in the rudimentary spike showed that under the influence of potassium humate and phosphobacterin, earlier differentiation of the rudimentary spike occurs. This led to an increase in the number of spikelets in the spike, the total length of the spike and its grain content, which contributed to an increase in yield.
For example, phosphobacterin applied together with potassium humate provided an increase in grain yield in spring wheat of variety No. 1 by an average of two years by 14.5% compared with the variant with humate alone, and for variety No. 2 for three years — by 13.9%. Similar results were obtained for winter wheat (see table 12).
Yield of winter wheat
The results of yield accounting from six experiments are presented in the table below.
Table 12. Efficiency of co-depositing potassium humate and phosphobacterin on winter wheat grain yield
| Experiment scheme | Experimental field No. 1 (average for 2013–2014) | Experimental field No. 2 (2015) | Experimental field No. 3 (average for 2016–2017) | Experimental field No. 4 (2018) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain yield, c/ha | Yield increase | Grain yield, c/ha | Yield increase | Grain yield, c/ha | Yield increase | Grain yield, c/ha | Yield increase | |||||||||
| c/ha | % | kg per 1 kg of P₂O₅ | c/ha | % | kg per 1 kg of P₂O₅ | c/ha | % | kg per 1 kg of P₂O₅ | c/ha | % | kg per 1 kg of P₂O₅ | |||||
| Without fertilizers | 31.7 | — | — | — | 23.0 | — | — | — | 14.6 | — | — | — | 16.05 | — | — | — |
| Potassium humate | 33.8 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 42 | 24.5 | 1.5 | 6.5 | 30 | 15.5 | 0.9 | 6.1 | 18.0 | 19.81 | 2.6 | 16.2 | 52 |
| Potassium humate + phosphobacterin | 35.4 | 3.7 | 11.6 | 74 | 29.0 | 6.0 | 26.8 | 120 | 17.4 | 2.8 | 19.1 | 56.0 | 22.88 | 6.38 | 39.8 | 127 |
| Phosphobacterin | 34.4 | 2.7 | 7.5 | — | 27.4 | 4.7 | 20.4 | — | 15.3 | 0.7 | 4.8 | — | 19.81 | 2.6 | 16.2 | — |
Notes:
- In experimental field No. 1, winter wheat was grown on fertilized fallow. P of the experiment: 2013 — 1.07%, 2014 — 1.36%.
- In experimental field No. 3, winter wheat was grown on unfertilized fallow. The experiment was established in one repetition with an accounting plot area of 5 hectares.
- In experimental field No. 2, experiments in 2015 were carried out on a stubble predecessor following fertilized fallow, in one repetition with an accounting plot area of 1 hectare.
- In experimental field No. 4, winter wheat was sown after a stubble unfertilized predecessor in one repetition with a plot area of 1 hectare.
Phosphobacterin, applied in seed rows, increases the effectiveness of Agro.Bio preparations and bacterial fertilizers, which is an effective way to use them. The increase in grain yield per unit of fertilizer (P₂O₅) when applying phosphobacterin was more than twice as high compared with the variant without phosphobacterin.
Efficiency of organo-mineral fertilizers with phosphobacterin
Phosphobacterin, applied together with our preparations, increases their effectiveness. For spring wheat of variety No. 1, on average over two years, phosphobacterin applied with products from Agro.Bio from loose manure and humate increased grain yield by 3.3%, and with fertilizers from fresh manure — by 6.3% compared with fertilizers without phosphobacterin.
Experiments with winter wheat, conducted over five years, confirm the effectiveness of co-depositing humates and bacterial fertilizers (see table 13). The highest yield increases were obtained in the poorest background (second winter wheat after unfertilized fallow).
In experimental field No. 4, phosphobacterin applied with Agro.Bio fertilizers from loose manure provided an increase in grain yield of 28.4%. In experimental field No. 3, on average over two years (second winter wheat after fertilized fallow), the increase was 14.2%. In experimental field No. 2, on average over two years (fertilized fallow), phosphobacterin with fertilizers from loose manure gave an increase of 7.6%, and with fertilizers from fresh manure — 7.1% compared with the variant without phosphobacterin.
Table 13. Influence of phosphobacterin on increasing the efficiency of fertilizers applied under winter wheat
— —| Experiment scheme | Experimental field No. 1 (2013–2014) | Experimental field No. 3 (average for 2015–2016) | Experimental field No. 4 (2017) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain yield, c/ha | Yield increase | Grain yield, c/ha | Yield increase | Grain yield, c/ha | Yield increase | |||||||
| c/ha | % | kg per 1 kg of P₂O₅ | c/ha | % | kg per 1 kg of P₂O₅ | c/ha | % | kg per 1 kg of P₂O₅ | ||||
| Without fertilizers | 31.7 | — | — | — | 14.6 | — | — | — | 16.0 | — | — | — |
| Without fertilizers, seeds treated with phosphobacterin | 34.4 | 2.7 | 3.5 | — | 15.3 | 0.7 | 4.7 | — | 19.8 | 3.8 | 23.7 | — |
| Potassium humate with loose manure (1:1) | 34.1 | — | — | 48 | 16.1 | — | — | 30 | 21.8 | — | — | 106 |
| The same, seeds treated with phosphobacterin | 36.7 | 2.6 | 7.6 | 100 | 18.4 | 2.3 | 14.2 | 76 | 28.0 | 6.2 | 28.4 | 228 |
| Potassium humate with fresh manure (1:1) | 34.8 | — | — | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The same, seeds treated with phosphobacterin | 37.3 | 2.5 | 7.1 | 112 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
Notes:
- In experimental field No. 1, winter wheat was sown after fertilized fallow. P of the experiment: 2013 — 1.07%, 2014 — 1.36%.
- In experimental field No. 3, winter wheat was sown after a stubble predecessor following fertilized fallow. The experiment was established in one repetition with an accounting plot area of 1 hectare.
- In experimental field No. 4, winter wheat was sown after a stubble predecessor following unfertilized fallow. The experiment was established in one repetition with an accounting plot area of 1 hectare.
co-depositing of potassium humate and phosphobacterin
The effectiveness of co-depositing of phosphobacterin with potassium humate was studied. The results of the microvegetation experiment are presented in the table below.
Table 14. Influence of phosphobacterin on the initial growth of winter wheat (according to the 2019 microvegetation experiment)
| Experiment scheme | Roots | Stems | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number per 100 plants | Average length of the main root, cm | Air-dry weight of 100 plants, g | Number of leaves per 100 plants | Average plant height, cm | Air-dry weight of 100 plants, g | |
| Potassium humate | 290 | 13.8 | 3.6 | 200 | 34.7 | 2.41 |
| Potassium humate, seeds treated with phosphobacterin | 310 | 20.1 | 4.3 | 220 | 36.5 | 2.38 |
| Potassium humate with phosphobacterin | 300 | 20.5 | 4.0 | 250 | 35.0 | 2.29 |
The data from the microvegetation experiment showed that co-depositing of potassium humate and phosphobacterin, as well as potassium humate with phosphobacterin, has a positive effect on the growth of the root system of winter wheat at the initial stage of its development. These results served as the basis for establishing field experiments in the fall of 2019.
Field experiments with potassium humate and phosphobacterin
Before going into winter, winter wheat plant samples were taken in experimental field No. 5 according to the variants. The results of the counts are presented in the table below.
Table 15. Influence of potassium humate and phosphobacterin on the initial growth of winter wheat according to the field experiment in experimental field No. 5 (count on 10.11.2019)
| Experiment scheme | Number of stems per 100 plants | Average plant height, cm | Air-dry weight of 100 plants, g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control (without fertilizers) | 252 | 15.96 | 5.6 |
| Without fertilizers, seeds treated with phosphobacterin | 297 | 15.31 | 14.6 |
| Potassium humate, 1 l/ha | 220 | 15.45 | 16.4 |
| Potassium humate, 2 l/ha | 297 | 18.06 | 15.5 |
| Monocomplex Humate + B, 2 l/ha | 372 | 18.65 | 17.7 |
| Monocomplex Humate + Mn, 2 l/ha | 311 | 18.65 | 14.9 |
| Potassium humate, 2 l/ha, seeds treated with phosphobacterin | 298 | 18.76 | 15.1 |
Winter wheat responded positively to the application of fertilizers. Potassium humate increased only aboveground mass compared with the control. Humate slightly increased tillering and plant height, but significantly increased the weight of aboveground mass. The introduction of boron into the monocomplex had a positive effect on tillering, height and weight of aboveground mass compared with the control and low-concentration humate. Manganous sulfate was less effective, but also increased tillering and plant height. Co-processing humate of seeds treated with phosphobacterin had little effect on initial growth.
Conclusions
Final conclusions about the optimal combination of humate, bacterial fertilizers and trace elements require yield data. However, preliminary results confirm the prospects for further study. It can be definitely concluded that:
- Trace elements introduced into the composition of a mineral or organo-mineral fertilizer increase its effectiveness.
- Bacterial fertilizers, in particular phosphobacterin, applied together with Agro.Bio preparations, increase their effectiveness.