Effect of Treating Acid Sulfate Soils with Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria on Germination and Growth of Tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum L.)

Jae Hwan Kim, So-Jeong Kim and In-Hyun Nam
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Jae Hwan Kim: Department of Human Environment Design, College of Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28503, Korea
So-Jeong Kim: Geologic Environment Research Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Daejeon 34132, Korea
In-Hyun Nam: Geologic Environment Research Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Daejeon 34132, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-10

Abstract: Acid sulfate soils contain sulfide minerals that have adverse environmental effects because they can lead to acidic drainage and prevent the establishment of vegetation. The current study examined the effect of a novel method for the restoration of these soils and the promotion of germination and plant growth. Thus, we isolated two strains of phosphate solubilizing bacteria, Methylobacterium sp. PS and Caballeronia sp. EK, characterized their properties, and examined their effects in promoting the growth of tomato plants ( Lycopersicon esculentum L.) in acid sulfate soil. Compared with untreated control soil, treatment of acid sulfate soils with these bacterial strains led to increased seed germination, growth of plants with more leaves, and plants with greater levels of total-adenosine tri-phosphate (tATP). Relative to the untreated control soil, the addition of Caballeronia sp. EK led to a 60% increase in seed germination after 52 days, growth of plants with more than 3 times as many leaves, and a 45.2% increase in tATP after 50 days. This strain has potential for use as a plant biofertilizer that promotes vegetation growth in acid sulfate soils by improving the absorption of phosphorous.

Keywords: acid sulfate soil; phosphate solubilizing bacteria; Methylobacterium sp. PS; Caballeronia sp. EK; vegetation promotion; biofertilizer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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