Humic substances can influence plant metabolism direct or indirectly, thus modifying its growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of humic-like substances (HS) on kinetics of K uptake, nutrient concentration and growth of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, L.). The experiment was performed on a laboratory bench with controlled light conditions. Plants were grown in pots with complete nutrient solution enriched with five levels (0; 2.5; 5; 10 and 20 mg L-1 of C) of alkaline soluble humic-like substances (fulvic and humic acids), extracted from mineral charcoal samples from the Candiota mine (Companhia Riograndense de Mineração), in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The experiment was set up in a randomized design, with three replications. After 28 days of plant growth, kinetics parameters of K uptake, shoot and root dry weight, shoot tissue concentration of nutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) and root morphological parameters (length, area and radius) were evaluated. The results showed that the application of charcoal-extracted humic substances stimulated common bean growth and influenced the kinetics parameters of K uptake. A quadratic response to HS was observed in shoot dry weight, which reached the highest values at 11 mg L-1 of C, whereas root dry mass increased linearly up to 41 % along the increasing HS concentration in solution. Root morphological parameters and nutritional conditions of plants were not significantly affected by HS. The kinetic parameters of K uptake, Imax, Cmin and Km, decreased with increasing HS concentration, causing reduction in K influx when the K concentration in solution exceeded 10 μmol L-1.
charcoal humate; common bean; root morphology; potassium influx
