Synergistic use of biochar and the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in mitigating drought stress on oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) seedlings

14 S.

e-journal

200211181

The successful early establishment of seedlings is a challenging step for the management of forests in semi-arid
regions, such as in the oak (Q. brantii) forests in western Iran. To address this challenge, we tested the separate
and combined effects of different biofertilizers: we evaluated the influence of the application of biochar and plant
growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on the growth of oak seedlings subjected to water stress in controlled
conditions. Two acorns were sown in a total of 216 pots distributed according to the following treatments: 3
water treatments (100, 75 and 50 % of field capacity), 4 biochar treatments (0, 1, 2 and 3 % of soil weight), 2
PGPR treatments (absence or presence) in 9 replicates. Biochar was derived from mistletoe (Loranthus europaeus),
a widespread hemi-parasite plant in the studied oak forests. After emergence, a total of 20 ecophysiological,
morphological and growth traits were measured on oak seedlings. We found that the interaction between irrigation, biochar and PGPR significantly influenced the ecophysiological attributes of the seedlings.