The Effect of Different Carrier Materials on the Growth and Yield of Spinach under Pot and Field Experimental Conditions

Hira Safdar, Moazzam Jamil, Azhar Hussain (), Bedur Faleh A. Albalawi, Allah Ditta (), Abubakar Dar, Ayesha Aimen, Hafiz Tanvir Ahmad, Qudsia Nazir and Maqshoof Ahmad
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Hira Safdar: Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Moazzam Jamil: Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Azhar Hussain: Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Bedur Faleh A. Albalawi: Department of Biology, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 47512, Saudi Arabia
Allah Ditta: Department of Environmental Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, Upper Dir 18000, Pakistan
Abubakar Dar: Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Ayesha Aimen: Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Hafiz Tanvir Ahmad: Provincial Reference Fertilizer Testing Laboratory, Raiwind, Lahore 55150, Pakistan
Qudsia Nazir: Soil Chemistry Section, Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad 38850, Pakistan
Maqshoof Ahmad: Department of Soil Science, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-15

Abstract: Long-term use of chemical fertilizers is affecting the environment, soil quality, and biodiversity. Organic agriculture is gaining global attention by using microbial-based biofertilizers. Carriers protect microbes by providing nutrition, energy, and suitable conditions for their survival while entering the natural environments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of different carrier materials to enhance the yield and the quality of spinach and to select the best carrier material for spinach biofertilizer. Three pre-isolated and characterized bacterial strains (AN-35, ZM-27, and ZM-63) were tested for their compatibility and used in this experiment through seed inoculation with organic carriers, i.e., compost, peat, press mud, biochar, and charcoal. A pot experiment and a field experiment were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different organic carriers. The results of the pot study showed a significant increase in spinach growth, i.e., shoot length (25%), shoot fresh weight (24%), root length (25%), and root fresh weight (29%), spinach nutrition, i.e., nitrogen (18%), phosphorus (22%), potassium (15%), iron (17%), and zinc (14%), spinach physiology, i.e., relative water content (27%), chlorophyll content (9%), and the membrane stability index (28%) under peat coated treatments with 24% more soil microbial populations compared to the control. Similarly, in the field experiment, peat coating significantly enhanced spinach growth, i.e., shoot length (29%), shoot fresh weight (23%), root length (16%), and root fresh weight (24.7%), spinach nutrition, i.e., nitrogen (16%), phosphorus (19%), potassium (15%), iron (17%), and zinc (23%), spinach physiology, i.e., relative water content (28%), chlorophyll content (13%) and the membrane stability index (32%), and spinach yield per hectare (30%), as well as producing 20% higher soil microbial populations. From these results, it is concluded that peat is a good carrier material for biofertilizer production as it not only enhances crop production but also the microbial number, in addition to improving soil quality.

Keywords: spinach; carrier materials; biochar; compost; press mud; charcoal; peat; PGPR (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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