Effect of Soil Application of Zeolite-Carbon Composite, Leonardite and Lignite on the Microorganisms

Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of mineral-organic mixture on changes in the abundance of selected soil microorganisms. The experiment contained: soil with NPK (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus) + 3 % or 6 % lignite (MF+CW3 %, MF+CW6 %) and 3 % zeolite-carbon composite (NaX-C); soil with NPK + 3 % or 6 % leonardite (MF+CL3 %, MF+CL6 %) and 3 % NaX-C; soil without fertilisation (C); soil fertilised with mineral NPK fertilisers (MF). Plants participating in the experiment were spring wheat and spring oilseed rape. The presence of the selected microorganisms was determined: Azotobacter spp., actinomycetes, ammonifiers, bacteria and mold fungi. Using Koch’s serial dilution method, the abundance of selected soil microorganisms was performed. The conducted research allows to conclude that the abundance of detected microorganisms depended on both the applied fertilisation and the plant grown. For the spring oilseed rape, the highest abundance of microorganisms was determined in treatments where fertilisation with lignite mixtures was applied, while for spring wheat, with leonardite mixtures. Increasing (from 3 % to 6 %) the share of lignite and leonardite in fertiliser mixtures did not translate into a proportional growth in the abundance of microorganisms, so such a treatment has no economic justification. Given their alkaline pH, the mixtures used can be a substitute for calcium fertilisers to improve soil properties and, consequently, protect soil organic matter from degradation.