Abstract
The objective of this research was to evaluate, in saline-sodic soils, the effect of the application of a low rank coal (LRC), lignite type, along with an inoculation of bacteria that release humified organic matter (HOM) from this type of coal. The soil microbial activity and related coal biosolubilization enzymes mediated by microorganisms were determined along with the chemical variables associated with saline-sodic soils with testing under controlled conditions in a greenhouse. Adding 1 % LRC and the solubilizing coal bacteria: Bacillus mycoides, Acinetobacter baumannii and Microbacterium sp., to a saline-sodic soil led to an increase in the soil respiration, microbiological activity, cation exchange capacity, and activity of the enzymes LiP and Lac. A decrease in the electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio and percent saturation of sodium, except pH, was found. The present findings suggest the possibility of using LRC as a possible organic amendment in saline-sodic soil, where the microbial activity can take place to accelerate the biotransformation processes of LRC to contribute to the rehabilitation of these disturbed soils.
Highlights
The objective of this research was to evaluate, in saline-sodic soils, the effect of the application of a low rank coal (LRC), lignite type, along with an inoculation of bacteria that release humified organic matter (HOM) from this type of coal
The objective was to provide evidence for the potential use of LRC coals and coal solubilizing bacteria (CSB) as a possible alternative for soils with salinity problems, and, considering that this is a common problem in the soils of Cesar Valley (Colombia), located near the largest coal mining activity in Colombia, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying a lignite type LRC along with bacterial inoculation that generates HOM through coal biosolubilization on some biological, chemical and physical properties in saline-sodic soils from Cesar Valley, under greenhouse conditions
Coal solubilizing bacteria (CSB) For this study, strains of the bacteria Bacillus mycoides (CSB25), Acinetobacter baumannii (CSB13) and Microbacterium sp. (CSB3) were used; the first was isolated from the rhizosphere of Typha domingensis, the second came from carbonaceous sediments from the washing of coal and the third from LRC [28]
Summary
The objective of this research was to evaluate, in saline-sodic soils, the effect of the application of a low rank coal (LRC), lignite type, along with an inoculation of bacteria that release humified organic matter (HOM) from this type of coal. In the Cesar Valley (Colombia), 38.44 % of the soils are characterized as saline and saline-sodic, which leads to compaction, loss of structure and negative impact on the germination, growth and development of plants, which decrease agricultural productivity [1]. The application of organic amendments is an alternative for conditioning soils with these characteristics, because their structure improves with aggregation, increasing the biological activity and improving the cation exchange capacity [2,3,4]. Coal is one of the more important resources in the economy of Cesar (Colombia), whose extraction is performed on a large scale.
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