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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #92777
Title: MYCORRHIZAL COLONIZATION AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE OF DRY BEAN IN MANURE AND COMPOST MANURE TREATED SUBSOIL AND UNTREATED TOPSOIL AND SUBSOIL

Author
item TARKALSON, DAVID - BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
item JOLLEY, VON - BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
item Robbins, Charles
item TERRY, RICHARD - BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Dry edible "Viva" pink beans were grown in greenhouse pots containing a calcareous topsoil as a calcareous subsoil. The subsoil was untreated, treated with fresh manure, composted manure or commercial fertilizer. Bean roots from manure or compost treated subsoil had higher mycorrhizal colonization than roots from untreated or commercial fertilizer treated subsoil but were lower than the topsoil roots. Plant zinc uptake was equal in the manure treated subsoil and the topsoil, and greater than the other subsoil treatments. The compost treated subsoil produced the lowest root and top growth of all treatments. Other than zinc, plant nutrient uptake was not related to mycorrhizal infection of bean roots.

Technical Abstract: Eroded or leveled calcareous silt loam soils have been restored to topsoil productivity levels by manure application. In dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Viva), only soil organic matter and Zn concentration of leaf tissue correlated with improved yields. Manure application could potentially increase or decrease mycorrhizal colonization depending on which factors dominate. A greenhouse study was conducted to see if manure or composted manure freshly applied to subsoils would facilitate mycorrhizal colonization in dry bean roots compared to untreated topsoil or conventionally fertilized subsoil. Low level colonization (<5%) was observed 21 days after planting and that increased to 58% by 56 days after planting. Roots grown on subsoil treated with manure or composted manure showed higher percent colonization than roots from untreated subsoil, but roots on topsoil had highest colonization. Topsoil promoted the greatest percent colonization in early bean growth and this was reflected in greater Zn uptake during early growth stages. By day 56, plants grown in manured subsoil absorbed Zn equal to topsoil and at higher levels than the subsoil control. However, this increase in Zn uptake was not seen in plants grown in compost manured subsoil. A decrease in root and shoot weight was observed in the composted manure treatment and this seemed to decrease mycorrhizal efficiency. The higher percent colonization of roots by mycorrhizal fungi stimulated by manure could explain the field observations of higher bean yield and Zn contents in dry bean in manured than in untreated subsoils.