BIOFERTILIZER: A NOVEL FORMULATION FOR IMPROVING

WHEAT GROWTH, PHYSIOLOGY AND YIELD

 

TAMOOR UL HASSAN¹ AND ASGHARI BANO^2*

 

¹Department of Plant Sciences Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan

²Department of Biology, University of Wah, Quaid avenue, Wah Cantt, Pakistan.

^*Corresponding author’s. email: banoasghari@gmail.com; Tel: 0092-51-90643096

 

Abstract

 

Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas moraviensis strains were inoculated singly as well as in consortium with two different carriers i.e., maize straws and sugarcane husk in the formulation of biofertilizer. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strains used in biofertilizer were phosphate solubilizer and exhibited strong antifungal activities. Both PGPR used in formulation was maintained 15–16.5×10⁸ cfu g⁻¹ in carrier material after 40d. The field experiment was conducted at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad on wheat for two consecutive years (2011-2012) simultaneously in pots and field. Plants sampling for growth and physiological parameters was made after 57d of sowing and at maturity for yield parameters. Single inoculation of Pseudomonas moraviensis and Bacillus cereus with maize straw and sugarcane husk increased plant height and fresh weight by 18-30% and protein, proline, sugar contents and antioxidant activities by 25-40%.  There were 20% increases in spike length, seeds/spike and seed weight in single inoculation. Co-inoculation of PGPR further increased plant growth, physiology and yield by 10-15% over single inoculation with carriers. PGPR consortium with sugarcane husk and maize straw (biofertilizer formulation) increased 20-30% plant growth chlorophyll, sugar, protein contents, antioxidants activities and yield parameters. It is inferred that carrier based biofertilzer effectively increased growth, maintained osmotic balance and enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes and yield parameters.

 

Key words: Sugarcane husk in agriculture, Pseudomonas moraviensis, Bacillus cereus.