Back A. Pairintra and P. Pakdee
Soil Science Department, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Full Paper (PDF File: 187KB)
Abstract
A study on the dynamics of Effective Microorganisms (EM) under saline soil conditions was conducted in laboratory, composting, and pot experiments. The objectives of this work were to examine the microbial populations in EM stock solutions, to evaluate the properties of EM treated composts, and to elucidate the dynamics of EM under saline soil conditions.
The results indicated that the prominent feature of EM2, EM 3, and EM 4 is the presence of significant numbers of actinomycetes, bacteria, and fungi, respectively Physical, chemical, and biological properties of 15-dey fermentation of water hyacinth composts showed no significant differences among treatments. Total microbial populations were highest at the first sampling date and the majority of activities were in the order of magnitude: first > third > second sampling dates. By cumulative summation, EM (1:500) treated compost gave the highest over-all microbial populations. Compost amendments exerted some effects on pH and EC of saline soil. Yield of onion was correlated with the total microbial populations. These data suggest that EM treated compost can be recommended as an efficient soil amendment in ameliorating a slightly saline soil.