The effect of bacterial inoculation and organic amendments for the establishment of some multipurpose trees on degraded land
Abstract Rehabilitating poor soil can be achieved in part by planting trees. In the field, bio-augmentation and organic amendments (OAs) promote plant establishment and growth. The experimental site is a fragile land due to its intrinsic characteristics and overexploitation which makes them abandone...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Discover Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-07539-4 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Rehabilitating poor soil can be achieved in part by planting trees. In the field, bio-augmentation and organic amendments (OAs) promote plant establishment and growth. The experimental site is a fragile land due to its intrinsic characteristics and overexploitation which makes them abandoned (bare land without three). Biochar (coffee husk), compost (recycled floriculture) and manure (farmyard manure) are used as OAs. Moreover, mixed bacterial strains i.e., Pseudomonas fluorescent FB-49, Pseudomonas putida BS-19, Paenibacillus polymyxa BS-50, and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BS-27 played a potential role in degraded land restoration. Hence, this study was initiated to assess the role of organic amendments and bacterial inoculations (BI) on tree establishment on degraded soil under field conditions. Six plots 41 m x 4 m were established to amend soil with organic matter and bacterial inoculation (BI) of the transplanted plants quarterly. Plots receiving OAs showed the highest counts of bacteria (21.66), actinomycetes (2.29), and fungi (0.82) x 105 colony-forming unit g−1 soil. Also, there were significant (p ≤ 0.05) increases in stem height (1, 0.42, and 0.39 m/plant), girths (12.0, 2.28, and 11.33 cm/plant), and branch numbers (5, 4, and 4.3/plant) on transplanted apple, acacia, and prunus respectively, compared to the control. The highest survival rate was observed on an apple tree (Malus domestica) (80%) and acacia (Acacia abyssinica) (66%). The result concluded that using OAs and BIs enhanced the growth and establishment of trees for the successful rehabilitation of degraded land. |
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| ISSN: | 3004-9261 |