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Improved soil characteristics and wheat germination as influenced by inoculation of Nostoc kihlmani and Anabaena cylindrica

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Abstract

Many soils in Egypt have low nutrient content and poor structural stability. Herein, we have investigated the effects of inoculation of two nitrogen fixing cyanobacterial species (Nostoc kihlmani and Anabaena cylindrica), each alone and as a mixture on the chemical, physical and microstructure properties of the degraded soil, and on wheat growth 2 weeks of age. Scanning electron microscopy showed that inoculated soils had dense superficial network coatings of exopolysaccharides. Cyanobacterial inoculation increased significantly soil N, P, K and total organic carbon. Also, it increased the percentage of germination, root and shoot lengths, dry weights and the nutrient contents in the tested wheat. Differential improvement of the soil physico-chemical quality in a few weeks and effect of wheat germination could be explained by the effect of the cyanobacteria components. Nostoc kihlmani has higher contents of exopolysaccharides, indole acetic acid and cytokinins, whereas Anabaena cylindrica has higher nitrogenase activity and gibberellin content.

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  1. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

    Saly F. Gheda & Dalia A. Ahmed

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  1. Saly F. Gheda
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  2. Dalia A. Ahmed
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Correspondence to Dalia A. Ahmed.

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Gheda, S.F., Ahmed, D.A. Improved soil characteristics and wheat germination as influenced by inoculation of Nostoc kihlmani and Anabaena cylindrica . Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 26, 121–131 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-014-0351-8

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