Turkish Journal of Field Crops

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ORGANIC ALFALFA PRODUCTION USING DIFFERENT EM.1 COMPOSTS

Ihsanullah DAUR

Abstract

Organic agricultural production systems are favored as they avoid the soil, air, and water contamination. Cow and poultry manure composts are key sources of fertilizer for organic crop production, but their natural degradation is slow that result in the loss of nitrogen. Therefore, the current study aimed to improve the composting process of cow and poultry manures through the addition of effective microorganisms (EM.1), a different exploitation from its normally intended use. Cow and poultry manures, with (CMEM.1 and PMEM.1) and without (CMplain and PMplain) EM.1 were composted and evaluated for organic alfalfa production. Compost analysis indicated superiority of EM.1 compost over plain compost. Significant (p < 0.05) variation between treatment groups was found for most parameters, including plant height, leaf to stem ratio, fresh and dry forage yields, and mineral (N, P, Ca, B, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn) composition. Only nodulation and some mineral compositions (K, Mg, S, Na, Co, and Mo) were not significantly different between treatments. Overall superiority of the treatments was in the order of CMEM.1 > CMplain > PMEM.1 > PMplain. We conclude that EM.1 enhances compost quality and alfalfa crop yield. These findings are hoped to encourage sustainable organic alfalfa production and may be applicable to other crops. Furthermore, the article includes analysis for manures, soil, and alfalfa crops that may be useful as reference.

Keyword: composting, crop growth, kitchen waste, manure, nodulation ,

Effects of Different Water Stress Levels on Biomass Yield and Agronomic Traits of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) Varieties under Semi-Arid Conditio

Erdal GONULAL, Suleyman SOYLU, Mehmet SAHIN

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in the Wielkopolska region at the Gorzyń Research Station, Poland (52.34°N, 15.54°E) in Central Europe. The study was conducted over a 3-year period (2017, 2018, 2019) as a two-factorial design with four replications in the RCBD. The aim of the research was to determine the effect of the cultivar (‘Bolero’, ‘Tytan’) and the inoculation (Nitragina–seeds inoculation, Nitroflora I–seeds inoculation, Nitroflora II–soil inoculation, HiStick® Lupin–seeds inoculation) on plant development, seeds chemical composition and yielding of narrow-leaved lupin. The weather conditions and experimental factors significantly influenced on productivity of narrow-leaved lupin ‘Tytan’. Drought during the growing season reduced seeds and protein yields. After inoculation of HiStck the seeds yield was significantly greater by 12.4% (p < 0.01) and the protein yield after application of Nitroflora I or HiStick by 13.9% (p < 0.01) and 19.2% (p < 0.01), respectively. Correlation coefficients showed strong relations between number of pods and seeds per plant in both cultivars regardless of the inoculation variant, however the strongest relations in both cultivar were proved on HiStick treatment.
Keyword: Biological nitrogen fixation, chemical composition, legumes, protein efficiency, yielding