Abstract
Compost humic acids are known to exert significant bioactive effects on soil organisms including plants. Three humic acids isolated from a green compost (GC-HA), a mixed compost (MC-HA), and a coffee compost (CC-HA) were tested at concentrations of 10, 50, and 200 mg L−1 on the germination and early growth of four switchgrass populations, Shawnee, Alamo, Shelter, and Dacotah. Experiments were performed in a climatic chamber under controlled conditions. An increase of germination percentage and a stimulation of primary root and shoot growth were observed as a function of the population, the plant part examined, and the HA type and dose applied.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Research Contract n. W911NF-08-1-0076 of the US Army RDECOM ACQ CTR – W911NF, Durham NC, USA. Project title: “Effects of Quality Composts and Other Organic Amendments and Their Humic and Fulvic Acid Fractions on the Germination and Early Growth of Slickspot Peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum) and Switchgrass in Various Experimental Conditions,” funded by the Airspace, Ranges, and Airfield Operations Division, HQ Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, VA. The opinions and conclusions in this chapter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Air Force, United States Army, or the federal government.
The authors wish to thank the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari of CIHEAM for kind supplying of the coffee compost.
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© 2013 Zhejiang University Press and Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Traversa, A., Loffredo, E., Palazzo, A.J., Bashore, T.L., Senesi, N. (2013). Enhancement of Germination and Early Growth of Different Populations of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) by Compost Humic Acids. In: Xu, J., Wu, J., He, Y. (eds) Functions of Natural Organic Matter in Changing Environment. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5634-2_194
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5634-2_194
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