Abstract
Vermiwash (VW), a liquid extract obtained from vermicomposting beds, is used as an organic fertilizer for crop plants. The current study investigated the effect of a vermiwash foliar spray on the response of bhut jolokia (Capsicum assamicum) exposed to two different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF: Rhizophagus irregularis, RI and G. mosseae, GM) in acidic soil under naturally ventilated greenhouse conditions. The VW spray significantly influenced the growth of plants receiving the dual treatment of AMF+VW. Plant growth was more prominent in the GM+VW treatment group than that in the RI+VW treatment group. The plant-AMF interactions in relation to growth and nutrient requirements were also significantly influenced by the application of VW. Interestingly, the VW treatment appeared to contribute more N to plants when compared to that under the AMF treatment, which led to changes in the C:N:P stoichiometry in plant shoots. Furthermore, the increased potassium dependency, as observed in the case of the dual treatments, suggests the significance of such treatments for improving crop conditions under salt stress. Overall, our study shows that the VW foliar spray modifies the response of a crop to inoculations of different AMF with regard to growth and nutrient utilization, which has implications for the selection of an efficient combination of nutrient source for improving crop growth.
Highlights
Vermiwash (VW) is a brownish-red liquid extract collected during vermicomposting of organic waste
Comparisons of the control to the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)- and VW-treated plants suggests a statistically significant increase (p# 0.05) in Root colonization (RC); 100% RC was recorded in all the plants receiving the AMF treatments (Figure 1)
Our results suggest that 100% mycorrhizal colonization was achieved following completion of the experiment, indicating the positive response of C. assamicum to the inoculations of the two different AMF
Summary
Vermiwash (VW) is a brownish-red liquid extract collected during vermicomposting of organic waste. VW can serve as a valuable foliar spray, because it is composed of excretory products and mucus secretions from earthworms and micronutrients from the organic molecules in the soil. These nutrients are absorbed and transported to the leaves, shoots, and other parts of a plant [1]. Studies have shown that vermicompost tea contains plant growth-promoting substances (e.g., humic, fulvic, and other organic acids [4]; auxin-like substances [5]; and cytokinin-like substances [6]). A VW foliar spray is more advantageous from economical and environmental perspectives owing to the absence of nutrient leaching, which is often encountered when performing soil amendments
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