EFFICIENCY OF USING BIOFERTILIZATION IN REDUCING NITROGEN FERTILIZER APPLICATION AND THEIR EFFECT ON GERMINATION, GROWTH AND YIELD OF MAIZE (Zea mays L.)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Seed Tech. Res., Field Crops Res. Institute, ARC, Giza

Abstract

A laboratory study was designed to investigate the influence of seed inoculation treatments with cerialein (Azospirillum brasilense),  phosphorein (Bacillus megaterium) and mixture from both on germination and seed vigor of maize (SH. 166 cultivar, yellow kernel) as compared with uninoculated seed during 2012 season. Also, field experiments were conducted to evaluate efficiency of Azospirillum brasilense (Ab), Bacillus megaterium (Bm) and mixture from both in reducing nitrogen fertilizer levels (120, 90, 60, 30 kg N/fed and without N application as a control) and their effect on emergence, growth and yield during 2012 and 2013 seasons. The results indicated that seed inoculated with combination of Azospirillum brasilense & Bacillus megaterium significantly increased seed vigor as compared with uninoculated seed. The results showed the role of Azospirillum brasilense & Bacillus megaterium in enhancing and promoting germination, activation seed vigor and development of maize. The results revealed that  seed inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense & Bacillus megaterium and adding  90 kg N/fed  produced good growth and yield approaching 120 kg N/fed  without significant differences between both. The lowest values of growth and yield were obtained from the uninoculated treatment and without nitrogen fertilization. It could be concluded that seed inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense and Bacillus megaterium beside addition 90 kg N/fed  achieved high productivity of maize.

Keywords

Journal of Plant Production
Volume 4, Issue 12
December 2013
Pages 1829-1842

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics