Microbial-inoculated remineralizers as source of potassium and other nutrients¹

Desempenho de remineralizadores inoculados com microrganismos como fonte de potássio e outros nutrientes

HIGHLIGHTS:

Potassium aluminosilicate mineral weathering depends more on mineral structure than potassi-um content.

Olivine melilitite is a competitive natural source for supplying potassium and calcium to plants.

The BiomaPhos^® inoculant enhances phosphate solubilization for plant uptake.

ABSTRACT

The consumption of potassium (K) fertilizers in Brazilian agriculture exceeds the national production of this input by more than ten times, indicating the need for alternatives to reduce imports of these products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the remineralizing rocks phonolite and olivine melilitite as sources of K and other nutrients, as well as the effects of inoculation with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium on the solubilization of these rocks in the soil. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using a randomized block design, with four replications, in a factorial arrangement consisting of three K sources (potassium chloride, phonolite, and olivine melilitite), three rates (150, 300, and 600 kg ha^-1 K₂O), with and without inoculant, and two controls without K (one with and one without inoculant). The experimental units consisted of pots containing 3 kg of soil and a strawberry plant grown for eight months. The treatment with olivine melilitite inoculated with rhizobacteria favored phosphate solubilization when applied the highest rate. Olivine melilitite remineralizer, alone or inoculated with rhizobacteria, increased K⁺ and Ca²⁺ contents in the soil when applied at the intermediate and highest rates (300 and 600 kg ha^-1 K₂O), highlighting this remineralizer as an alternative potassium source for plants.

Key words:
rock dust; potassium fertilization; rhizobacteria