Microbial consortia and biochar as sustainable biofertilisers: Analysis of their impact on wheat growth and production.
Sci Total Environ
; 917: 170168, 2024 Mar 20.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38244628
ABSTRACT
The European Union is among the top wheat producers in the world, but its productivity relies on adequate soil fertilisation. Biofertilisers, either alone or in combination with biochar, can be a preferable alternative to chemical fertilisers. However, the addition of biofertilisers, specifically plant growth promoting microbes (PGPM), could modify grain composition, and/or deteriorate the soil composition. In this study, the two wheat cultivars Triticum aestivum (Bramante) and T. durum (Svevo) were cultivated in open fields for two consecutive years in the presence of a commercial PGPM mix supplied alone or in combination with biochar. An in-depth analysis was conducted by collecting physiological and agronomic data throughout the growth period. The effects of PGPM and biochar were investigated in detail; specifically, soil chemistry and rhizosphere microbial composition were characterized, along with the treatment effects on seed storage proteins. The results demonstrated that the addition of commercial microbial consortia and biochar, alone or in combination, did not modify the rhizospheric microbial community; however, it increased grain yield, especially in the cultivar Svevo (increase of 6.8 %-13.6 %), even though the factors driving the most variations were associated with both climate and cultivar. The total gluten content of the flours was not affected, whereas the main effect of the treatments was a variation in gliadins and low-molecular-weight-glutenin subunits in both cultivars when treated with PGPM and biochar. This suggested improved grain quality, especially regarding the viscoelastic properties of the dough, when the filling period occurred in a dry climate. The results indicate that the application of biofertilisers and biochar may aid the effective management of sustainable wheat cultivation, to support environmental health without altering the biodiversity of the resident microbiome.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Triticum
/
Consórcios Microbianos
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Total Environ
/
Sci. total environ
/
Science of the total environment
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Itália
País de publicação:
Holanda