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Consortia of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria and Selected Catch Crops for Increasing Microbial Activity in Soil under Spring Barley Grown as an Organic Farming System
In order to protect and remediate soils, organic farming methods have grown in popularity. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of rhizobacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Pseudomonas fluorescens) and catch crops (undersown red clover alone, undersown Italian ryegrass alone and a mixture of clover and ryegrass) on the microbiological activity of the soil under organic spring barley. In 2019–2021, a field experiment was carried out on an organic farm, randomly in eight variants, each in three repetitions. The following parameters were analyzed: enzymatic activity of dehydrogenases (DHA), acid phosphatase (PAC) and catalase (CAT), soil fertility index (BIF), and a number of selected physiological groups of microorganisms (molds, bacteria, and actinomycetes). Compared to the control variant (without catch crops and bacteria), the values of DHA, CAT, and BIF increased significantly in the variant in which rhizobacteria and catch crops were used simultaneously. The highest BIF, of 32, was obtained in 2019, after the application of red clover catch crop + Italian ryegrass + rhizobacteria. PAC activity dropped significantly after the application of the bacterial consortium alone and was lower than the control by an average of 30%.
The Use of a Composition of Bacterial Consortia and Living Mulch to Reduce Weeds in Organic Spring Barley Cultivation as an Element of Sustainable Plant Production
Weed infestation of cereal crops in organic farming is becoming a serious problem in agriculture. Sustainable agriculture requires the search for and implementation of crop management techniques that will reduce weeds without negatively impacting the environment. This research refers to the principles of integrated plant protection in sustainable agriculture, allowing the use of chemical plant protection products to be limited to the absolute minimum. Technology for growing spring barley based on the use of bacterial consortia in combination with living mulch (LM) can be an interesting approach to this problem. The aim of this three-year field research was to determine the effects of bacterial consortia and LM on the level of weed infestation in the organic spring barley crop. Two factors were tested in the experiment: bacterial consortia factors: control (without bacterial consortia); 1—Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum and Arthrobacter agilis; 2—Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Pseudomonas fluorescens; and LM: control (without LM); red clover; red clover + Italian ryegrass; and Italian ryegrass. This research demonstrated that the bacterial consortia tested significantly reduced both the biomass and number of weeds, including the following dominant weeds: Chenopodium album, Sinapis arvensis, Elymus repens, and Tripleurospermum inodorum. The use of LM also significantly reduced the weed infestation of spring barley stands. The lowest biomass and number of weeds, with the exception of Elymus repens, were recorded on objects with LM Italian ryegrass in spring barley in combination with bacterial consortium 2. The introduction of cultivation with LM Italian ryegrass or its mixture with red clover and the use of bacteria should be recommended for the practice of sustainable agriculture, which will reduce weeds through an ecological method.