Abstract
Four soil treatments, consisting of two commercial mycorrhizal fungi, one zeolite and an untreated control, were arranged in a factorial design with two foliar fertilization treatments, a foliar spray and a control to study the effects of commercial mycorrhizal fungi and zeolites on the growth of young, rainfed olive trees planted in very acidic soil. The concentrations in the plant tissues of most of essential nutrients, particularly nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and boron (B), did not significantly change with the soil treatments, whereas leaf N and B concentrations significantly increased with foliar fertilization. Leaf calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) levels were found to be much lower than their respective sufficiency ranges and increased with soil amendments, also giving positive outcomes for plant water status, photosynthetic activity and assimilation area. Ultimately, the mycorrhizal fungi increased the growth of the young trees, whereas the effect of zeolites was much smaller and not significantly different to the control. Thus, it seems that in this very acidic soil and under rainfed conditions, the major benefits for plants from the application of mycorrhizal fungi and zeolites were the alleviation of drought stress and tissue Ca and Mg disorders.
Highlights
As has been called for by society, the scientific community seeks to help farmers in the search for ever more sustainable methods of soil management
The dry matter of the prunings and the plant stem diameter were higher under the commercial mycorrhizal fungi treatments, in comparison with the control
The mycorrhizal-induced biomass enhancement was associated with an increase in the assimilation area, judging by the changes in leaf dry mass removed by pruning and the leaf mass area (LMA) subsamples taken during the last pruning event
Summary
As has been called for by society, the scientific community seeks to help farmers in the search for ever more sustainable methods of soil management. It is agreed that the use of chemical fertilizers should be reduced in order to avoid environmental contamination. Many other fertilizing materials such as soil conditioners and biostimulants, can be used as a means of reducing the use of chemical fertilizers while maintaining or increasing agricultural productivity [1,2,3]. Zeolites have high cation exchange capacities (CECs) and high void volumes. These unique features facilitate the movement of ions to and from the mineral structure, increasing nutrient sorption and improving soil moisture conditions [6]
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