Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
co-inoculation of
Rhizobium
with phosphobacterin, when applied together
enhanced the early vegetative growth, symbiotic properties like nodule production
and excessive synthesis of leg hemoglobin in nodules, nitrogenase activity (NA),
and yield components such as seed yields, harvest index (HI), and P uptake by
chickpea cultivar Mahamaya-2 plants grown in entisol (laterite soil) under rainfed
conditions. Of the various combination treatments, seed inoculation of
phosphobacterin with
Rhizobium
was significantly better than other treatments.
When P (26.2 kg/ha) was also added to the mixture of
Rhizobium
and
phosphobacterin, the biological and chemical properties of chickpeas were further
improved relative to other levels of P used with biofertilizer. In yet other study,
Messele and Pant (
2012
) conducted a field experiment to assess the inoculation
effects of
Sinorhizobium ciceri
and PS bacteria on the performance of chickpea in
Shoa Robit area, Ethiopia, using three levels of NP fertilizer and four levels of
inoculants. The sole application of
S. ciceri
increased dry matter yield (DMY) by
156.58 and nodule numbers (NN) by 117.96 % relative to control. In the presence of
18/20 kg N (urea)/P (DCB) ha
1
,
S. ciceri
enhanced the DMY, NN, and nodule dry
weight (NDW) by 149.6, 143.6, and 200 %, respectively, over uninoculated control
suggesting the role of P in nodule tissue development. Similarly,
Pseudomonas
sp. in the presence of 18/20 kg NP ha
1
increased NDW, NN, nodule volume (NV),
and seed yield (SY) by 240, 188.52, 151.81, and 142.95 %, respectively, compared
to control indicating the P-solubilizing efficacy of bacteria in the presence of DCB.
In contrast, the co-inoculation of
S. ciceri
and
Pseudomonas
sp. with 18/20 kg NP
ha
1
dramatically enhanced the NN, NDW,NV, and DMY by 208.8, 220, 221.24,
and 172.09 % over uninoculated control at mid-flowering stage of chickpea.
Apart from forming relationship with PGPR, PSM has also been found to
establish associative/symbiotic association with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM)-
fungi (Wang et al.
2011
) and facilitate plant growth (Osorio and Habte
2013
)
including legumes (Souchie et al.
2010
). Mycorrhizal interactions are ubiquitous
and improve plant fitness and soil quality by (1) increasing the nutrient uptake from
soil; (2) facilitating uptake of relatively immobile trace elements such as, Zn, Cu,
and Fe; (3) increasing protection against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (4) forming
soil aggregate (Turnau et al.
2006
; Lingua et al.
2008
; Garg and Chandel
2010
).
Conclusively, the interaction of PS organisms with AM fungi is likely to have larger
impact on plant health than the sole application of any organism in agricultural
practices. The interactive effect of PS organisms with AM fungi on legume
development and yield is discussed briefly in the following section.
Souchie et al. (
2010
) in a study evaluated the synergism between several PS
fungi and AM fungi to improve clover growth in the presence of Arax´ apatite. The
combination of
A. niger
and PSF 21 in the presence of AM fungi showed greatest
clover growth; however,
A. niger
, PSF 7, and PSF 21 were found most effective
fungal cultures in increasing clover growth when used with AM fungi. Due to
greater mycorrhizal colonization, there was a maximum increase in clover plants
inoculated with PSF isolates. Of these, isolate PSF 7 was found as the best-
performing fungal culture in terms of mycorrhizal establishment and rhizobia
symbiosis. Toro et al. (
2008
) in an experiment tested the efficacy of mixed
