Abstract
Humic acid (HA) is a specific and stable component of humus materials that behaves similarly to growth stimulants, esp. auxin hormones, contributing to improving growth indices and performance of plants. As a rich source of HA, vermicompost (VC) is also a plant growth stimulating bio-fertilizer that can enhance growth indices and performance in plants. The purpose of the present study is to compare the influence of VC enriched with bacterial and/or fertilizer, commercial humic acid (CHA) extract, and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) on improving growth characteristics and performance of rapeseed under greenhouse conditions. The results showed the complete superiority of VC over the CHA and IAA (approximately 8% increase in the dry weights of root and aerial organ and nearly three times increase in seed weight). The highest values of these indices were obtained with VC enriched with Nitrogen, Sulfur, and Phosphorus, Azotobacter chroococcum and Pseudomonas fluorescens; the lowest value was obtained with VC enriched with urea. Additionally, the application of 3% VC and the control involved the highest and lowest values in all traits, respectively. The SPAD (chlorophyll index) value and stem diameter were not significantly affected by different application levels of VC. Overall, the applications of IAA and the CHA were not found to be suitable and therefore not recommended.
Highlights
Oil seeds are the second largest source of nutrients after cereals
The results showed that Humic acid (HA) increased the access to phosphorus and other nutrients and caused a significant yield increment
Vermicompost was produced from cow manure raw materials and plant residues in a 1:3 ratio in the presence of composting worms (Eisenia fetida) for a period of 5 months in the VC Education and Research Station of Agriculture and Natural Resources Campus in Tehran University
Summary
Oil seeds are the second largest source of nutrients after cereals. In addition to being rich in fatty acids, these products contain proteins as well [1]. Vermicompost (VC) is a plant growth stimulating organic fertilizer being a rich source of humic acid (HA), that can improve plant growth performance indices [3]. Vermicompost contains enzymes and natural growth stimulants that, along with nutrients and HA, promote plant growth and yield [4]. For Maize (Zea mays), it has been shown that VC increased plant growth yield by creating favorable conditions for plant nutrition [9]. By improving VC physical properties, it can have a beneficial effect on the growth and yield of plant species [9]. It was reported that the application of VC enriched with other nutrients compared to their separate application was accompanied by improved morphological and physiological traits of the corn plant (Zea mays) [17]
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