Phosphate solubilizing potential of Rhizobium and Bacillus species for enhancing yield and available phosphorus in maize crop (Zea mays)

Abstract A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the separate and integrated effect of Rhizobium and Bacillus spp. on the growth of maize (Zea Mays L.). Inocula of Rhizobium and Bacillus were applied as seed coating. Recommended dose of fertilizer (120-60 kg NP ha-1) was applied at sowing. The treatments were implied according to Randomized Complete Block Design with three repeats. Inoculation had no significant effect on the leaf length (84cm) and internodal distance (18.3cm) compared to their respective control (80cm and16.5cm) but the photosynthetic rate (105.3μ mol-2s-1) , transpiration rate (13.2 mmolm-2s-1), plant height (259.3cm), leaf width (7.7cm), stem diameter (15.43mm), leaf area (644cm-2) and shoot fresh weight (79.6 tones ha-1) were significantly improved by co-inoculation. Effect of Bacillus was statistically at par with co-inoculation regarding transpiration rate (11.47 m mol m-2s-1), plant height (249.3 cm) and stem diameter (14.87 mm). Response of leaf width, stem diameter, leaf area and shoot fresh weight were significantly higher by Rhizobium application compared to the Bacillus inoculation, however, positive influence was observed by all the inoculation treatments over the control. These findings indicated that inoculation of Rhizobium and Bacillus has positive effect on the maize growth and their co-inoculation (Rhizobium+ Bacillus) showed more pronounced results.