Abstract
Maize production in semi–arid irrigated systems depends on soil fertility and an active rhizosphere. We hypothesized that vermiculite enriched with humic substances (HS) or Chlorella vulgaris (CV) would outperform vermiculite alone by improving soil fertility, maize nutrition, and rhizosphere-associated microbial indicators. A field experiment was conducted in southern Kazakhstan under medium–loam sierozem using a randomized block design with three replicates and seven treatments: control, vermiculite at 1 and 2 t ha−1, vermiculite + HS at 1 and 2 t ha−1, and vermiculite + CV at 1 and 2 t ha−1. Amendments were incorporated before sowing, and soil, plant, and microbial measurements were taken before sowing, at V6–V8, and after harvest. Compared with the control, all amendments improved early maize growth, leaf area development, biomass accumulation, and nutrient status, and increased grain yield. The strongest response was obtained with vermiculite + HS at 2 t ha−1, which increased grain yield from 6.48 to 10.24 t ha−1 (+58%). Microbial indicators differed between bulk soil and the rhizosphere, while Pearson correlation and PCA revealed coordinated soil–plant–microbe responses and productivity–linked variables across treatments. Taken together, these results indicate that enriched vermiculite, especially HS–enriched vermiculite at 2 t ha−1, is a promising amendment for improving maize productivity and rhizosphere functioning in semi–arid irrigated systems.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
All amendments improved early maize growth, leaf area, and biomass relative to the control.
- Treatment
- all amendmentse0
- Outcome
- early maize growth, leaf area development, biomass accumulatione0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared with the control, all amendments improved early maize growth, leaf area development, biomass accumulation”
t0“Integrated Assessment of Vermiculite Enriched with Humic Substances or Chlorella vulgaris: Soil Fertility, Maize Nutrition, and Microbial Indicators”
Claim · model-written summary
All amendments improved maize nutrient status relative to the control.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared with the control, all amendments improved early maize growth, leaf area development, biomass accumulation, and nutrient status”
t0“Integrated Assessment of Vermiculite Enriched with Humic Substances or Chlorella vulgaris: Soil Fertility, Maize Nutrition, and Microbial Indicators”
Claim · model-written summary
All amendments increased maize grain yield relative to the control.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared with the control, all amendments improved early maize growth, leaf area development, biomass accumulation, and nutrient status, and increased grain yield”
t0“Integrated Assessment of Vermiculite Enriched with Humic Substances or Chlorella vulgaris: Soil Fertility, Maize Nutrition, and Microbial Indicators”
Claim · model-written summary
Vermiculite plus humic substances at 2 t ha−1 increased maize grain yield from 6.48 to 10.24 t ha−1, or 58%.
- Treatment
- vermiculite + HS at 2 t ha−1e0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 10.24 t ha−1e0
- Qualifier
- +58%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“vermiculite + HS at 2 t ha−1, which increased grain yield from 6.48 to 10.24 t ha−1 (+58%)”
t0“Integrated Assessment of Vermiculite Enriched with Humic Substances or Chlorella vulgaris: Soil Fertility, Maize Nutrition, and Microbial Indicators”
Claim · model-written summary
Microbial indicators differed between bulk soil and maize rhizosphere.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Microbial indicators differed between bulk soil and the rhizosphere”
t0“Integrated Assessment of Vermiculite Enriched with Humic Substances or Chlorella vulgaris: Soil Fertility, Maize Nutrition, and Microbial Indicators”
Claim · model-written summary
Pearson correlation and PCA found coordinated soil, maize, and microbe responses across treatments.
- Outcome
- coordinated soil–plant–microbe responses and productivity–linked variablese0
- Qualifier
- across treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pearson correlation and PCA revealed coordinated soil–plant–microbe responses and productivity–linked variables across treatments”
t0“Integrated Assessment of Vermiculite Enriched with Humic Substances or Chlorella vulgaris: Soil Fertility, Maize Nutrition, and Microbial Indicators”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors identify enriched vermiculite, especially humic-substance enriched vermiculite at 2 t ha−1, as promising for maize productivity and rhizosphere functioning.
- Treatment
- HS–enriched vermiculite at 2 t ha−1e0
- Outcome
- improving maize productivity and rhizosphere functioninge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“enriched vermiculite, especially HS–enriched vermiculite at 2 t ha−1, is a promising amendment for improving maize productivity and rhizosphere functioning”
t0“Integrated Assessment of Vermiculite Enriched with Humic Substances or Chlorella vulgaris: Soil Fertility, Maize Nutrition, and Microbial Indicators”
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