Effect of microbial organic fertilizer on seedling growth,yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco

Low quality and severe virus disease limit flue-cured tobacco production in the Loess Plateau of East Gansu Province.The effects of microbial organic fertilizer on tobacco growth,yield,quality and soil micro-organism were determined in a field trial.The field trial involved nursery and transplanted field cultivation where the effects of microbial organic fertilizer on local flue-cured tobacco production were investigated.Results showed that application of microbial organic fertilizer(T2) in nurseries significantly promoted tobacco growth and soil micro-organism population,which strengthened seeding vitality.Compared with T1(chemical fertilizer),dry weight of max leaf and shoot increased respectively by 41.9% and 90.1% in T2.Total root length,specific root length,root dry weight and root tip number also increased by 151.5%,25.8%,100.0% and 286.0% in T2.Micro-organism count in T2 nurs-ery soils increased.Specifically,actinomyce numbers rose significantly by 194.7% in T2 over T1,increasing disease resistance.Fur-thermore,T2 significantly promoted yield,quality and economic benefits of flue-cured tobacco in transplanted fields.Yield,eco-nomic benefit and net income increased respectively by 23.2%,46.5% and 12 363 Yuan·hm 2 in T2 over T1.Mid-high grade leaf ratio also increased by 16%.Main chemical components such as K,total N,nicotine,protein,sugar and schmuck were in the range of high-quality tobacco.Specifically,Middle-lower part leaf K content exceeded 3%,which signified high quality tobacco.