Effect of sulphate reducing bacteria and ameliorants on nutrient status of N and P in acid sulphate soil

Abstract

The application of sulphate-reducing bacteria is expected to reduce the use of lime in increasing the fertility of acid sulphate soils and the growth of corn plants. This study aimed to determine the effect of sulphate-reducing bacteria and ameliorant on shoot dry weight and N and P nutrient status in corn. This research was conducted in the Greenhouse and Soil Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara using factorial randomized block design with 2 factors. The first factor was sulphate-reducing bacteria, namely B0 = without bacteria application (Control) and B1 = with sulphate-reducing bacteria and the second factor was soil ameliorant, namely P0 = without ameliorant (control); P1 = OPEFB Organic Material; P2 = OPEFB Organic material + NPK fertilizer; P3 = CaCO3 + NPK fertilizer with 4 replications. The results showed that sulphate-reducing bacteria could increase the shoot dry weight but the application of ameliorants, especially organic matter + NPK and CaCO3 + NPK, besides increasing the shoot dry weight also increasing the plant N uptake and P uptake. The interaction of Sulphate Reducing Bacteria and Ameliorants did not significantly affect all parameters observed.