Nowadays, the scientific community is focusing on alternative environmentally friendly management approaches. Mycorrhizae has a lot of potential as an agrochemical solution. These effective eco-friendly parameters are gaining traction in soil sustainability and agricultural production restoration. The interaction of mycorrhizae with iron-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (Fe–EDTA) is, nevertheless, unknown. The effects of four treatments (control, mycorrhizae, foliar spray of iron, and mycorrhizae + foliar spray of iron) (C, M, F, and M+F) on soil respiration, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), metabolic quotient (qCO2), infection rate, nutrients content, root weight and eggplant yield (Solanum melongena L.) were investigated. M had the highest soil respiration (233.20 mg CO2-C g–1 day), infection rate (72 %), MBC (107.58 µg C g–1 soil), and microbial quotient values (8.52 %). Despite this, F had no effect on phosphorus content, MBC, or chlorophyll rate when compared to control. More specifically, the infection rate, qCO2, microbial biomass, roots weight, nitrogen and phosphorus contents, but not iron content, were all associated to fruit yields. These findings showed that chelated iron application alone affected soil respiration but had no positive effects on MBC, whereas it affected MBC and qCO2 when combined with mycorrhizal fungi, confirming a lower stress on soil microbes and implications for the accumulation of soil organic carbon in soils.
mycorrhizal fungi, MBC, qCO2, soil respiration, chelated Fe (Fe–EDTA), eggplant yield
Al-Maliki, S., Al-Zabee, M., Muter, D.M.(2022): Microbial Biomass Carbon and Nutrient Availability as Influenced by Mycorrhizae and Iron-Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid. Scientia Agriculturae Bohemica, 53, 22-32. DOI: 10.7160/sab.2022.530103