Biofertilizers that are used are:
In the following CEREALS: *
MAJOR CEREALS: paddy, wheat, maize
MINOR CEREALS: barley, oats, millets, sorghum, etc
Methods of application:
Suspend 200 g of Azotobacter or Azospirillum + 200gm of Phosphotika in 300–400 ml of water and mix thoroughly. Mix this with 10–12kg of seeds with hands till all the seeds are uniformly coated. Dry the coated seeds in shade and sow immediately.
Mix 1 kg Azotobacter and 1 kg Phosphotika in sufficient quantity of water and dip the roots of seedlings to be transplanted in 1 acre in this suspension for 30 minutes or more and transplant them immediately. In case of paddy (low land), prepare a small seedbed in the field and fill with 3–4 inches of water. Put 2 kg of Azospirillum + 2 kg Phosphotika in this water and mix. Dip the roots of the seedlings to be planted in 1 acre in this suspension for 8–12 hours (overnight) and transplant them.
Benefits:
The effect of PGPR (plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria) on cereals growth, development and yield has been examined by Yasin M. et al. Normally, PGPR enhance the availability of unavailable nutrients and also increase the nutrient absorption capacity of crop plants. Nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria have synergistic effects on the growth and development of cereal crops. Plant-growth-regulating rhizobacteria have normally been used in non-leguminous crops such as paddy, maize and wheat. Inoculation with Bacillus species has shown positive yield response in paddy, sorghum, barely and maize. Wheat seed treatment with PGPR has shown optimistic increase in wheat yield due to high nutrient assimilation capacity of roots. The bacterial genera involved in PGPR include Azotobacter, Bacillus and Azospirillum.
Seed treatment of wheat and barley with Bacillus species has shown an increase in crop yield. In the same way, wheat seed treatment with Bacillus sp. enhanced the root growth and also improved the soil structure and the plant development. Collective seed treatment with nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria is more effective than single application. Biofertilizers inhibit the harmful soil pathogens and also enhance the availability of essential nutrients for crop plants. Joint application of nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria promotes the yield in sorghum and barley in contrast to only treatment with nitrogen-fixing or phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria.
Wheat seed treatment with Pseudomonas putida and Baccilus lentus increases the germination of seeds, the growth of seedlings and the wheat yield. Wheat seed inoculation with Azotobacter increases all yield parameters and the final yield of the crop both separately and mutually with phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria. Use of nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter chroococcum) as a source of biofertilizer increases the biological yield of wheat. Joint application of Azotobacter chroococcum and Bacillus magatherium gives more positive results in plant growth when utilized as a source of biofertilizer in wheat than single application of Bacillus magatherium.
Inoculation of wheat cultivars with PSB and nitrogen-fixing bacteria gives good results over the control treatment: increase of 10% in the yield of non-leguminous crops has been observed due to the inoculation of Azotobacter chroococcum and round about 15 to 20% increase in the yield in cereal crops. Azotobacter is widely used in agricultural crops as an inoculant due to its unique ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available for crop plants. Combined seed treatment of flax with nitrogen-fixing bacteria along with phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria including Bacillus sp. enhances the production of growth-promoting substances which help the multiplication of plant cells and cell enlargement and finally increase all the growth parameters.
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