Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
1 (1):9--15, 1959
Souhrn
Summary
The authors studied the effect of the application of humus substances to the
leaves of Begoniasemperflorens LINK et OTTO. For spraying they used a dialysed
extract of garden soil containing sodium humate with admixture of fulvic acid
in total concentration of 300 mg/1. Doses of 2 ml. were applied twice a week
during the period of the main growth phase.
I t was found t h a t humus substances applied to the leaves cause a leng-
thening of plant organs and increase of their fresh and dry weights. The chloro-
phyll content and the amount of expired carbon dioxide are increased. The
final result depends on the time when spraying was carried out and on the
concentration used. I t can be assumed t h a t these effects are the result of direct
influence by the humus substances and are not due to the action of stimulated
soil or root micro flora nor to improvement of the physieochemical character
of the soil environment.
]0 Z. S L A D K ~ a n d V. T I C H ~
Introduction
W e carried o u t m a n y p r e l i m i n a r y e x p e r i m e n t s , w h i c h s h o w e d t h a t it is n e c e s s a r y a b o v e
all to choose s u i t a b l e e x p e r i m e n t a l m a t e r i a l , a s c e r t a i n t h e o p t i m a l c o n c e n t r a t i o n of t h e prepar-
a t i o n to be u s e d a n d t h e m o s t f a v o u r a b l e t i m e for a p p l i c a t i o n w i t h r e g a r d to t h e g r o w t h a n d
d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e p l a n t . As a r e s u l t of t h e s e e x p e r i m e n t s we chose for f u r t h e r w o r k t h e p l a n t
Begonia semperflgrens LINK et OTTO, w h i c h r e a c t e d s e n s i t i v e l y to h u m u s s u b s t a n c e s . R e s u l t s
o b t a i n e d in e x p e r i m e n t s w i t h t h i s p l a n t are t h e s u b j e c t of t h i s paper.
Begonia semperflgrens w a s g r o w n f r o m seed in a glass h o u s e to t h e s t a g e of two large assimil-
a t i o n leaves. T h e seedlings were t h e n t r a n s p l a n t e d to flower pots, one set b e i n g 11 cm. in d i a m e t e r
w i t h a c o n t e n t of 800 g. of g a r d e n soil a n d t h e o t h e r 9 era. in d i a m e t e r w i t h a c o n t e n t of 400 g.
of g a r d e n soil. F r o m a larger n u m b e r of t h e s e t r a n s p l a n t e d seedlings 25 pairs c o r r e s p o n d i n g in
a p p e a r a n c e a n d g r o w t h were selected f r o m t h o s e in t h e large flower p o t s a n d 15 p a i r s f r o m t h e
s m a l l pots. I n b o t h g r o u p s one h a l f w a s s p r a y e d w i t h h u m u s s u b s t a n c e s a n d t h e o t h e r half,
s e r v i n g as control, w i t h distilled water. T h e p l a n t s were k e p t as before in t h e glass h o u s e . A h a n d
s p r a y e r w a s u s e d , w h i c h f o r m e d m i s t y drops. I n t h i s w a y t h e s o l u t i o n w a s d i s t r i b u t e d e v e n l y o n
t h e leaves, s t e m s a n d flowers to f o r m a fine, e v e n coating. Care w a s t a k e n t h a t t h e s o l u t i o n s h o u l d
n o t drip o n to t h e soil in t h e flower pots. T h e p l a n t s were s p r a y e d in t h i s w a y twice a w e e k d u r i n g
J u n e a n d J u l y , i. e. d u r i n g t h e period of g r e a t e s t g r o w t h u p to t h e flowering a n d r e n e w e d slowing
of growth.
AP1)LICATIOM O F H U M U S S U B S T A N C E S 11
Results
Diseussion
T a b l e 1. D i m e n s i o n s a n d w e i g h t s of o r g a n s of Begonia semperflorens t h e o v e r g r o u n d p a r t s of
w h i c h were s p r a y e d w i t h solution of h u m u s s u b s t a n c e s of t~otal c o n c e n t r a t i o n 300 mg./1. Control
p l a n t s were s p r a y e d w i t h w a t e r
Difference
Plants sprayed with in ~o of Signifi-
Control p l a n t s
h u m u s solution control cance t
P l a n t s g r o w n in large p o t s (25 p l a n t s )
Plants spray-
Control Difference in
Pots ed w i t h h u -
plants ~ of c o n t r o l
m u s solution
Fig. 2. Fig. 3.
Fig. 2. I n f l u e n c e of h u m u s s u b s t a n c e s a p p l i e d to t h e leaves of Begonia semperflorens in s m a l l e r
flower pots. Control o n t h e right, p l a n t s p r a y e d w i t h h u m u s on t h e left.
F~g. 3. I n h i b i t o r y effect of h i g h c o n c e n t r a t i o n s a n d large doses of h u m u s s u b s t a n c e s a p p l i e d
to t h e leaves of Bego~ia semperflorens in larger flower pots. L e a v e s are d e f o r m e d , side
s t e m s develop.
APPLICATION OF HUMUS SUBSTANCES 13
in the large and the small pots stem lengths were increased due to spraying.
Increase in length of stems was not the same in all parts: the lower internodes
showed greater increases t h a n those formed at a later stage of the plant's
growth. Similarly the size of leaf blades (length and breadth) does not in-
crease evenly over the surface but, as shown in fig. 4, with a maximum in
areas 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the leaf. From
this it m a y be concluded t h a t the 100
effect of humus substances applied
to the plant on the leaves is most
/," ',
intense in the growth of those organs, ' ~ ' , I
'h
which at the time of application are
in the early stages of tissue develop-
ment. With the slowing down of the
growth of a plant organ its sensitiv-
ity to the action of humus sub- 50
stances also decreases. The special
sensitivity of meristems is also
evident from the reaction to exces-
sive doses of humus substances (fig. 3). p--
The more frequent occurrence of
side stems in this case indicates t h a t
the inhibitory effect of the growing
points on the development of axillary 0 2 3 4 5 6 Z 8 9 10 11
buds is influenced and limited.
A further remarkable fact is the
difference in the effect of humus sub- Fig. 4. I n f l u e n c e of s p r a y i n g w i t h h u n m s s u b -
s t a n c e s on lengl~h ( u n b r o k e n line) a n d b r e a d t h
stances on plants in large and small ( d o t t e d line) of leaves a t different levels of Be,
flower pots. This phenomenon can gonia semperflsrens (large pots). C u r v e 1 , 2 -
Mso be explained in our experiment m e a s u r e m e n t s of s p r a y e d leaves, c u r v e 3.4 ---
by the fact t h a t humus substances m e a s u r e m e n t s of leaves o f control. C u r v e 5 -
differences in b r e a d t h b e t w e e n s p r a y e d leaves
improve the utilization of those ele- a n d control, c u r v e 6 - - differences in l e n g t h , x:
ments of nutrition which are avail- order of leaves o n s t e m f r o m t h e oldest (1) to
able to the plant in minimal a- t h e y o u n g e s t (I1L y: m e a s u r e m e n t in ram.
mounts. Therefore the effect of spray-
ing is greater in the smaller pots, where the source of nutrient is more limited.
The increase in total dry weight of sprayed plants also indicates an increase
in intensity of photosynthetic assimilation, t h a t is a more powerful assimi-
latory apparatus. This is confirmed by the colorimetric determination of
chlorophyll content: its value increased for sprayed plants in large pots by
11.4%, in small pots by 24.80/0. Thus in this case too humus substances act
through spraying in the same way as when they are taken in by the roots
(for example NIKLEWSKI and WOJCIECHOWSKI 1947, WOJCIECHOWSKI 1948,
KHRISTEVA 1951).
Besides more intense growth we also observed an increase in intensity of
respiration (output of carbon dioxide in the dark). The increase for sprayed
plants in large pots was 30% and 16.5% for those in small pots. This effect,
too, has already been observed in cases where humus substances were given
to plants as a part of the root nutrition (e. g. KHRISTEVA 1951).
14 Z. S L A D K ~ and V. TICH~r
References
Address: Dr ZDEN]~K SLADK~ and :Dr VLADIMiR TICH~2, Laboratory for P l a n t Physiology and
Anatomy, Natural Science Faculty, Brno University, Brno K o t l ~ s k ~ 2.
APPLICATION OF HUMUS SUBSTANCES 15
Peam~e