Assessment of Probiotic Bacteria Effects on Rice Growth and Yield at Reduced Doses of Chemical Fertilizers in Pingtung, Southern Taiwan

Plant associated bacteria are promising alternatives to chemical fertilizers for plant growth and yield improvement in an eco-friendly manner. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of different amount of probiotic�s solution (PS) and different recommended doses of chemical fertilizers (RDCF) doses on the growth and yields of rice in wet season. To achieve our goals, the experiment has been conducted at irrigated rice field at the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) in Taiwan. Five different treatments T1 (100 % RDCF), T2 (75 % RDCF + 25 % PS), T3 (50 % RDCF + 50 % PS), T4 (25 % RDCF + 75 % PS) and T5 (100 % PS) have been compared between each other�s where T1 was considered as control treatment. Whole treatments have been subjected to alternate wetting and Drying Irrigation (AWD) and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) practices along with rainfall. Data of growth parameters and yield components have been statistically analyzed and compared between treatments. Results shown that T3 has recorded best performances in plants height (111.62 cm), in chlorophyll content (36.82) and leaves area index (13.05) at maturity. Findings revealed also highest grain yield recorded in T1 (6.14 ton/ha) without any significant different with T3 (5.84 ton/ha). Results suggest that T3 could be applied in rice farming under similar soil characteristics and weather data to mitigate the huge use of chemical fertilizers for an eco-friendly agriculture.