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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #94730
Title: PLANT GROWTH EFFECTS OF HUMIC SUBSTANCES

Author
item LIU, RUILONG - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Clapp, Charles
item CLINE, VAN - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item HAYES, MICHAEL - UNIV OF BIRMINGHAM
item JOHNSON, DAVID - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item WHITE, DONALD - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Preliminary evidence showed the stimulatory effects of humic substances to turfgrass growth. Species examined were creeping bentgrass, blue grass, and ryegrass. Positive effects were represented by the higher root/shoot (R/S) ratios, where roots were stimulated to grow faster under treatments. The control treatments showed reduced R/S ratios along with the higher NPK application rates. These results may indicate that plant leaves tend to us more nutrients in their normal growth, while humic substances appear to have positive influences in promoting root growth instead of shoots. We suggest that humic substances act as weak plant hormones to promote root growth, which may reverse the nutrient flow in plants. Some negative effects in root or shoot growth were examined in the experiment related to various humic treatments. Our results can provide some new techniques to assist turfgrass researchers in evaluating or interpreting efficiency of humic substances in plant growth.