The Effect of Different Fertilizer Sources on Soil Nutritional Status and Physiological and Biochemical Parameters of Cone Flower (Echinacea purpurea L.)

The environmental and health costs of chemical fertilizers have led researchers to meet the nutritional needs of plants using organic and biological fertilizers. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effects of organic and biological fertilizers on soil nutritional characteristics, nutritional status, physiological and biochemical parameters in Cone Flower leaves. Treatments included Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK) (N50P25K25; N75P35K35 and N100P35K35), manure (30, 60, and 90 tons/ha), vermicompost (5, 10, and 15 tons/ha), N50P25K25 fertilizer along with 30 tons/ha manure, N50P25K25 with 5 tons/ha vermicompost, biological fertilizers including Glomus. intraradaices + G. mosseae, Azospirillum + Pseudomonas, Thiobacillus with 5 tons per hectare vermicompost and Thiobacillus with 250 kg per hectares of sulfur. Parameters such as the status of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur in soil and leaves were examined. Also, the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), as well as biochemical parameters such as phenol and total flavonoids, carotenoids, and leaf protein were determined. NPK chemical treatment resulted in the highest amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in soil and leaves, while the highest amount of sulfur in soil and leaf was obtained in Thiobacillus treatment with 250 kg/ha of sulfur. There was also a significant difference in the activity of antioxidant enzymes in different fertilizer treatments. Azospirillum+Pseudomonas treatment had the highest SOD and POD activity. In Azospirillum+Pseudomonas treatment, the highest content of protein, total phenol, and total flavonoids was also observed in the leaves of Cone Flower.