The Effects of Various Doses and Types of Effective Microorganism Applications on Microbial and Enzyme Activity of Medium and the Photosynthetic Activity of Scarlet Sage

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of various types and levels of effective microorganism (EM) applications on scarlet sage. For this purpose, EMs were applied at the following three concentrations: 1:10, 1:50, and 1:100. Moreover, two types of treatments (spraying and watering) and a combination of the two were also examined. Photosynthetic intensity was analyzed, including the net photosynthesis rate (PN), stomatal conductance (gS), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci). Additionally, chlorophyll a, b, and a + b, and the chlorophyll b/a ratio were analyzed. The microbial content in the medium and soil enzyme activity were also evaluated to examine the effect of EMs on soil biological properties. The investigations revealed a high positive effect of EMs on the photosynthetic activity of most EM combinations compared with the control. The greatest positive effect was noted for the highest EM concentration application for both types of treatments. There was no such influence on soil activity. An increase was noted only in the number of fungi and dehydrogenase activity, while the rest of the soil biological status parameters revealed significant variability, and mostly small or no effects were recorded.