Response of Soil Microorganisms to and Yield of Spelt Wheat following the Application of Bacterial Consortia and the Subsequent Effect of Cover Crops in Organic Farming

Abstract

In modern agriculture, more and more attention is being paid to the use of microorganisms that can increase crop productivity and quality even under adverse weather conditions. Due to the declining biodiversity of crops and the occurrence of soil erosion and nutrient losses, the introduction of cover crops (CC) can be a positive crop management technique. In the field study presented here, the effect of growing spring barley with CCs applied simultaneously with bacterial consortia on the ratio of the total number of bacteria to actinobacteria (B/A) and the number of fungi in the soil was evaluated. The biomass yield of CCs and the subsequent effect on the yield of spelt wheat grown with the application of bacterial consortia were also evaluated. The bacterial consortia applied included consortium 1, comprising Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Pseudomonas fluorescens, and consortium 2, comprising Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Azotobacter chroococcum. The CCs were red clover, red clover + Italian ryegrass, and Italian ryegrass. The most favorable B/A ratio and the highest number of fungi were obtained after growing spring barley with a CC consisting of a mixture of red clover and Italian ryegrass when using bacterial consortium 2. These conditions additionally had the most favorable influence on spelt wheat. The combination of such a forecrop with the application of bacterial consortium 2 resulted in the highest yields of spelt wheat.