-Dhurba Banjade(BscAg.IAAS) 10 june 2021
Maize (zea mays) is the most important grain crop in the world and is produced under diverse environments. Successful maize production depends on the correct application of production inputs that will sustain the environment as well as agricultural production.
Maize production is decrease due to various reasons but the most important reason is low fertility of the soil. Application of chemical fertilizers can increase maize production but its continuous use is causing hazards for human health and also for environment. The over use of nitrogen fertilizers have negative effect on soil , air and water .In case of higher doses of fertilizer application , the plant become less efficient in taking up of the nutrients and nitrogen is lost through process of denitrification.
To fulfill the gap between production and utilization of maize , improved cultural practices such as biofertilizers and chemical fertilizers can be used . Moreover , the negative effects of chemical fertilizers can be avoided by using fertilizers with low doses of synthetic fertilizers. Combination of these fertilizers is cost effective and also environment friendly.
Integrated effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) along with chemical fertilizers has great significance for the improvement of soil fertility as well as to increase the plant growth and its biomass. The present study was conducted in order to test the effect of PGPR and PSB along with recommended doses of chemical fertilizer to evaluate the performance of different plant parameters under various chemical and biological treatments.
The bacteria strains were isolated from root rhizosphere of maize and characterized on the basis of their morphological , physiological and biochemical traits. The shape , size and structure of isolates were determined through microscopic of isolates were determined through microscopic analysis. The selected PGPR isolated produced reasonable quantity of IAA. The PSB strain showed highest solubilization index(0.88)%.
The co-inculation of PGPR and PSB with 25% less N and recommended P and K fertilizers showed maximum plant height (88.7cm) at vegetative stage , chlorophyll contents (50.1mg/g) , leaves /plant (12.7) and root dry biomass (19.93g) .While the maximum plant height at maturity (114.5cm), shoot dry biomass (31.29) , root length (8.8cm) were recorded on PGPR , PSB and Recommended NPK. The heighest plant phosphorous content(0.29) was observed in treatment having the combination of Iple, Iple +PSB+ Recommended k+ N+P . The PGPR , PSB and chemical fertilizer have showed very promoting results on different parameters and vigorous growth of maize plants.
PGPR along with integrated nutrient management may be more effective for growth , yield and fertility status under sustainable agriculture.
