Investigation on the effect of broomrape infection and mycorrhizal inoculants on mineral composition of oriental tobacco
Radka Bozhinova
Abstract: The influence of broomrape infection and microbial inoculants (Rhizo-Vam Basic®, Mycoplant® and Funky Fungi®) on the mineral composition of oriental tobacco was studied in a pot experiment. Eight treatments were tested, distributed in the following four groups: (1) control; (2) treatment with broomrape infection; (3) treatments with mycorrhizal inoculants and (4) treatments with broomrape+mycorrhizal inoculants. Broomrape infection reduced the dry weight of tobacco leaves by 31.4% compared to the control. A tendency towards a decrease in the concentrations of the essential nutritional elements – P, K, Zn and Cu, and a more pronounced increase in the concentrations of Ca and Mg in the leaves of tobacco infected with broomrape was found. Nutrient removal by infected tobacco leaves was also reduced, especially by removing phosphorus, zinc and copper. Microbial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased the content of mineral nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium in the soil. Application of mycorrhizal inoculants, in most cases, increased the phosphorus concentration in tobacco leaves - by 18.2%-22.7% compared to the control. This was associated with an improvement in N concentrations (+1.1%-13.5%), K concentrations (+4.3%-32.2%), and Zn concentrations (+9.8%-21.1%) in leaves of inoculated plants. Mycorrhizal inoculants did not prevent biomass reduction of broomrape-infected plants, but partially reduced weight losses. The application of a mycorrhizal inoculant did not completely prevent the decrease in the essential nutrient concentration in the plants infected with broomrape, but it improved the mineral balance and had a positive effect on nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition.
Keywords: broomrape; macronutrients; micronutrients; mycorrhizal inoculants; nutrient removal; tobacco
Date published: 2023-09-28
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