Effect
EM-1 treated Common Bean, cv. Borlotto Nano Lingua di Fuoco, exhibited significantly increased seed number per plant, increased seed dry weight (DW) per plant, increased seed number per pod, and increased seed DW per pod, increased pod number per plant, increased pod DW per plant, increased pod length (not significant in greenhouse substrate) and at least a two weeks longer optimal maximum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) compared to untreated control plants, independent of substrate. When grown in the high-nutrient substrate, the seeds of EM-1® treated plants showed significantly increased magnesium (+17%), increased manganese (+9%), increased phosphorous (+35%), increased potassium (+30%) and increased sodium (+124%) but significantly decreased lipids (-18%), decreased water (-5%), decreased calcium (-8%) and decreased zinc (-35%), compared to untreated control plants. There was no significant change in copper, no change in iron, no change in proteins, no change in total starch, no change in resistant starch and no change in non-resistant starch concentrations, compared to untreated control plants. When grown in the low-nutrient substrate, the seeds of EM-1 treated plants showed significantly increased iron (+29%), increased phosphorous (+32%), increased sodium (+50%), increased zinc (+52%) and increased proteins (+13%) but significantly decreased potassium (-7%), decreased lipids (-27%) and decreased water (-7%), compared to untreated control plants. There was no significant change in of calcium, no change in copper, no change in magnesium, no change in manganese, no change in total starch, no change in resistant starch and no change in non-resistant starch concentrations, compared to untreated control plants. There was no difference found between the protein profiles in seeds of different treatments.
