In order to explore the effects of applying organic manure combined with foliar Se on the growth of Atractylodes macrocephala and its possible mechanism, an experiment with five treatments (i.e. spraying distilled water, CK; application of partial substitution of mineral fertilizers with organic manure combined with spraying distilled water, OM; application of partial substitution of mineral fertilizers with organic manure combined with spraying 5 mg?m-2 foliar selenium (Se), OM+5Se; application of partial substitution of mineral fertilizers with organic manure combined with spraying 10 mg?m-2 foliar Se, OM+10Se; application of partial substitution of mineral fertilizers with organic manure combined with spraying 15 mg?m-2 foliar Se, OM+15Se) was conducted to learn the effects of different treatments on the leaf functional characteristic, growth and rhizospheric soil property of A. macrocephala. The results were: Compared with the control, OM, OM+5Se, OM+10Se and OM+15Se treatments significantly increased the leaf area of A. macrocephala by 12.3%, 25.3%, 22.5% and 10.4%, respectively. OM+5Se and OM+10Se treatments increased the leaf dry weight remarkably by 10.8% and 13.0%, respectively. OM+5Se treatment significantly increased the specific leaf area by 13.0%. OM+5Se and OM+10Se treatments decreased the leaf length width ratio by 15.6% and 18.4%, respectively. OM, OM+5Se, OM+10Se and OM+15Se treatments increased the yield of A. macrocephala significantly by 37.3%, 121.7%, 91.7% and 65.2%, respectively. The promotion of the A. macrocephala growth by foliar Se application (based on the application of organic manure) showed an increment trend at low levels but showed an decrement trend at high levels. The correlation analysis showed that the growth of A. macrocephala could be preliminarily understood by measuring its leaf functional characteristics. OM, OM+5Se, OM+10Se and OM+15Se treatments significantly increased the content of organic matter, alkaline nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium in the rhizosphere soil of A. macrocephala compared with the control. In conclusion, the application of only partial substitution of mineral fertilizers with organic manure and application of partial substitution of mineral fertilizers with organic manure combined with foliar Se treatments all increased the growth and yield of A. macrocephala, and application of partial substitution of mineral fertilizers with organic manure combined with 5 mg?m-2 foliar Se was the optimal treatment. |