Title
The role of oats, common vetch and tansy phacelia as cover plants in the formation of microorganisms communities in the soil under the cultivation of root chicory (Cichorium intybus var. Sativum Bisch.) and salsify [Tragopogon porrifolius
Autor
Elżbieta Patkowska, Mirosław Konopiński
Keywords
mulch, soil-borne bacteria and fungi, antagonistic microorganisms
Abstract
The composition of microorganisms in the cultivation environment is extremely important since it affects the healthiness and hence the yielding of plants. The purpose of the present studies was to determine the effect of oats, common vetch and tansy phacelia as intercrop cover plants on the formation of microorganisms communities in the soil under the cultivation of root chicory and salsify. Before winter, cover plants formed an abundant green mass, which constituted the natural mulch on the surface of the land managed in two ways: 1) pre-winter ploughing, or 2) spring ploughing. The control was the conventional cultivation of these vegetables, i.e. without any cover plants. The microbiological analysis of the soil showed that regardless of the species of the studied vegetable, the total population of bacteria and the population of bacteria Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were the highest when the soil was mulched with oats. A little fewer of those microorganisms occurred after using the mulch of common vetch or phacelia. On the other hand, the fewest bacteria were obtained as a result of the traditional cultivation of those vegetables. The total population of fungi in the soil mulched with oats was the lowest, whereas the most of fungi occurred in the control. The cultivation system, i.e. performing the spring or pre-winter ploughing, rather had no significant effect on the population of the studied microorganisms in the soil. Among the studied vegetables, the following were most frequently isolated: Alternaria alternata, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium oxysporum, Pythium irregulare, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Gliocladium spp., Penicillium spp. and Trichoderma spp. Laboratory tests showed that both the cultivation of root chicory and salsify which included cover crops promoted the development of antagonistic bacteria (Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp.) and fungi (Gliocladium spp., Penicillium spp. and Trichoderma spp.) better than the traditional cultivation of those vegetables.
Pages
179-191
Cite
Patkowska, E., Konopiński, M. (2013). The role of oats, common vetch and tansy phacelia as cover plants in the formation of microorganisms communities in the soil under the cultivation of root chicory (Cichorium intybus var. Sativum Bisch.) and salsify [Tragopogon porrifolius. Acta Sci. Pol. Hortorum Cultus, 12(5), 179-191.
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