RESPONSE OF CUCUMBERS GROWN ON TWO SUBSTRATES IN AN OPEN SOILLESS SYSTEM TO INOCULATION WITH MICROORGANISMS

Many studies report the inoculation of roots of higher plants with the N-fixing bacteria Azotobacter spp. or Azospirillum spp.
These bacteria are important in increasing N uptake by plants, and play a significant role in promoting growth in rooting media.
Cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L. ‘Passandra’ and ‘Girola’) were inoculated with two series of N-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter chroococcum, Azospirillum brasilense) and Glomus mosseae fungus.
Plants were on rockwool and coarse peat substrates in an open soilless system.
The experimental design was split-plot with three replicates.
The number of leaves, total leaf area and total yield were significantly higher for plants grown on coarse peat (38.8, 3.7 m² and 17.4 kg.m^-2, respectively) than those grown on rockwool (33.2 and 2.9 m² and 15.7 kg.m^-2, respectively). The concentration of nitrogen in leaves was significantly higher in the plants grown on rockwool.
Inoculation with microorganisms did not affect P and total yield, but early yields were significantly increased (1.7 kg.m^-2) in the case of inoculation with A. brasilense, alone or combined with G. mosseae, compared to the control (1.4 kg.m^-2). Inoculation with A. chroococcum alone increased K concentrations in leaves, while the combined inoculation of A. chroococcum and G. mosseae increased N concentration in fruit tissues.
It seems that inoculated plants grown on coarse peat in open soilless systems could play a positive economic role in vegetable production under protected culture.

International Symposium on Growing Media 2007

M.E. Abdelaziz, R. Pokluda

Cucumis sativus, rockwool, coarse peat, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Glomus, growth, chemical composition, yield

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.819.14