Residual effects of soil Zn fertilization on soil characteristics, yield and quality of Platycodon grandiflorum

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is common worldwide and is a major limiting factor in the cultivation of Platycodon grandiflorum because most P. grandiflorum is cultivated on soils with slight or severe levels of Zn deficiency in China. To investigate the effects of soil Zn fertilization on P. grandiflorum and its residual effects on soil characteristics, a randomized complete block design was conducted at the experimental station of Shandong Agricultural University China in 2016–2018. In 2016, ZnSO4 · 7H2O was used as Zn fertilizer. The fertilizer levels of Zn fertilizer were designed as 0, 4, 6, 8 and 10 kg ha−1 and were denoted as CK, Zn4, Zn6, Zn8 and Zn10. No Zn fertilizer was used in 2017 and 2018. The results showed that soil Zn fertilization increased the quantity of soil bacteria, and actinobacteria, Zn8 and Zn10 treatments increased the soil fungal quantity in 2017, whereas the effect was observed only in the Z10 treatment in 2018. Soil Zn fertilization enhanced the activity of polyphenol oxidase, decreased that of phosphatase, and did not influence the invertase activity in both 2017 and 2018. Both the yield and the quality of P. grandiflorum in the succeeding three years increased due to the soil Zn fertilization in 2016. Overall, soil Zn application is a suitable approach to the cultivation of P. grandiflorum, and the residual effects of a one-time soil Zn fertilization could last at least two years.