University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Research portal
Gewählte Doctoral Thesis:
Kathrin Rosner
(2020):
Long-term soil tillage, cover cropping and herbicides respond different to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, nutrient concentrations and yield.
Doctoral Thesis - Institut für Pflanzenschutz,
BOKU-Universität für Bodenkultur,
pp 52.
UB BOKU
obvsg
- Abstract:
- Sustainable agriculture is important for a successful plant production. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are beneficial components of the soil microbiota. They colonize the roots of a wide range of plants where they benefit plants in numerous ways. This thesis focuses on the interactions of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and agricultural plants in different crop production systems. Thereby, different soil tillage techniques, whole-year coverage of soils with main crops and cover crops and chemical plant protectants (herbicides) were compared and the interactions on the AMF symbiosis were evaluated. Further, the yield, the nutrient concentrations and the C:N ratio in the main crops were assessed. For the studies, we used an existing experimental field trial, where four different soil tillage treatments were compared since 2009. In the first study, the interaction of soil tillage, cover cropping with different cover crops in mixtures or as a single component, in a crop rotation with winter wheat and sunflower as main crops, were compared. In the second study, we investigated the impact and interaction of soil tillage and the usage of herbicides, in the main crop pea in field and pot experiments. In all experimental years, reduced soil tillage techniques including reduced tillage, minimum tillage and no-tillage were major factors for promoting the abundance and the symbiosis with AMF and their host plants compared to conventional tillage. In several cover crop species, a different AMF root colonization were found and further, significant soil tillage and cover crop interactions in the yield of the main crop were assessed. In both experiments, nutrient concentrations and C:N ratio of the plants were affected by soil tillage. Both studies show that reduced soil tillage intensity and the whole year coverage with main crops and cover crops enhances the abundance of AMF in the soil whereas the usage of an herbicide did not alter AMF root colonization in the main crop.
- Betreuer: Steinkellner Siegrid
- 1. Berater: Bodner Gernot
- 2. Berater: Watzinger Andrea