Investigating the effects of some selected organic, inorganic materials and plant growth promoting bacteria in modifying the physical and chemical properties of a sandy Entisol

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Soil Science Department, College of Agriculture and natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, P.O.Box 4111, Iran

2 Soil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

3 Soil Science Department, ّFaculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, P.O.Box 4111, Iran

4 Department Of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, P.O.Box 4111, Iran

Abstract

The aim of this study is to combine organic, inorganic materials and selected microorganisms to modify the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of a non-saline sandy Entisol (0-20 cm), from NajmAbad, Karaj, aeolian sediments. This research was conducted in the frame of factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three levels of bentonite 0, 20 and 40 Mgha-1, carboxymethyl cellulose 0, 3 and 5 gkg-1 and a mixture of two isolates of endophytic bacteria (Pseudomonas sp) and rhizosheath (Pantoea agglomerans) at three levels 0, 20, and 40 mLkg-1, in a total of 27 treatments with 3 replicates (81 samples). Multivariate statistical methods, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering, and two-step clustering were utilized for the analysis. Based on the results of the two-step clustering, the following variables were identified as the most significant variables: available Fe (RI=1), mean weighted diameter of peds (RI=0.99), field capacity (RI=0.97), total N (RI=0.87), available K (RI=0.83), and dehydrogenase activity (RI=0.8). Variables including Fe available with a range of 1.75 to 7.08 mg­kg-1, mean weight diameter with a range of 0.31 to 1.15 mm, total nitrogen with a range of 0.014 to 0.06%, field capacity with a range of 8.03 to 12.82%, available K with a range of 280.8 to 416.66 mg­kg-1 and dehydrogenase enzyme activity with a range of 0.07 to 0.148 μgTPF (g­soil 24 h)-1, had the highest effect in the clustering treatments. The results of this study showed that the treatments B20C5M20, B40C5M10, B40C5M20, B40C3M20 and B40C3M10 have better performance to modify certain soil properties compared to other treatments.

Keywords

Main Subjects

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

 

Background:

Sandy Entisols (Psamments) are distributed all over the world from very humid to temperate, semi-arid and dry regions. Sandy soils have low water holding capacity, high permeability and low ability to store and exchange nutrients. Due to the low amount of clay, silt and organic matter, sandy soils have a weak structure and are prone to degradation processes. The lack of water and nutrients leads to low biological activities of these types of soils and limits the growth of plants and microbes. Currently, the use of traditional methods of improving sandy soils is less significant due to the high cost and destructive effects on the environment. Applying correct management and applying advanced techniques is needed more than before. Soil Amendment are substances that contain essential elements and compounds to improve the physical, chemical or biological properties of the soil, which ultimately leads to soil stability, preserving the environment and improving the conditions for plant growth and development.

Objective

The aim of this study is to obtain a suitable combination of organic, inorganic materials and selected microoorganicm to improve the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of a non-saline sandy soil (Entisol) at a depth of 0-20 cm, from Najm Abad Karaj aeolian sediments

Methodology

This evaluation was carried out in the form of completely randomized design in factorial arrangement including three levels of bentonite (B0, B20 and B40) respectively 0, 20 and 40 Mgha-1, three levels of carboxymethyl cellulose (C0, C3 and C5) respectively 0, 3 and 5 gkg-1 and A mixture of two isolates of endophytic bacteria (Pseudomonas sp) and rhizosheath (Pantoea agglomerans) at three levels( M0, M20 and M40) respectively 0, 20, and 40 mLkg-1 and a total of 27 treatments with 3 replications (81 experimental units). In order to analyze the data and identify the best treatments, multivariate statistical methods were used, including principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, and Two-step clustering.

Finding

Based on two-step clustering, the variables Relative Importance (RI) including available Fe (RI=1), mean weighted diameter (RI=0.99), field capacity (RI=0.97), total nitrogen (RI=0.87), available K (RI=0.83) and dehydrogenase enzyme (RI=0.8) were identified as the most important variables respectively. Variables including Fe available with a range of 1.75 to 7.08 mgkg-1, The mean weight diameter with a range of 0.31 to 1.15 mm, total nitrogen with a range of 0.014 to 0.06%, field capacity with a range of 8.03 to 12.82%, available K with a range of 280.8 to 416.66 mgkg-1 and dehydrogenase enzyme with a range of 0.07 to 0.148 μgTPF (g soil 24 h)-1, had the highest effect in the clustering treatments into different clusters.

Conclusion

The results of this study showed that treatments B20 C5 M20, B40 C5 M10, B40 C5 M20, B40 C3 M20 and B40 C3 M10 have better performance to to modify certain soil properties compared to other treatments. These amendments have positive effects, such as high-water absorption and increase the efficiency of water use efficiency in the soil, plant essential nutrients absorption, increase the cation exchange capacity of the soil, soil aggregate stability, Soil porosity and reduction of soil bulk density, increasing the activity of microorganisms, increasing the production of plant hormones and various enzymes, and as a result, increase the soil quality. Considering the lack of sufficient water resources and the low quality of sandy soils, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, the use of these modifiers for the sustainable use of water and soil resources is more vital than in the past.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization; Ahmad Heidari and Alireza Raheb; methodology, Ahmad Heidari, Alireza Raheb and Hasan Etesami; validation, Ahmad Heidari and Mohammad Reza Bihamta; formal analysis, Mohammad Hoseini Badashiani; investigation, Mohammad Hoseini Badashiani; writing—original draft preparation, Mohammad Hoseini Badashiani; writing— Ahmad Heidari; visualization, Mohammad Hoseini Badashiani; supervision Ahmad Heidari and Alireza Raheb; project administration, Ahmad Heidari; funding acquisition, Ahmad Heidari and Alireza Raheb. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.” All authors contributed equally to the conceptualization of the article and writing of the original and subsequent drafts.

 

Data Availability Statement

Data available on request from the authors.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Soil Science Department of University of Tehran for providing equipments and Facilities, and Dr. Aida Bakhshi Khorramdareh for her participants of the present study.

Ethical considerations

The authors avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest

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Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research
Volume 56, Issue 1
April 2025
Pages 55-74

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