STUDIES ON PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH MAIZE (Zea mays L.) UNDER MID HILL CONDITIONS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
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Date
2015
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ABSTRACT
Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) are bioresources which may be viewed as a novel and potential tool for providing substantial benefits to agriculture. Use of PGPRs gaining worldwide importance and acceptance for different agricultural crops and appears to be one of the important agriinputs in the future. The present investigations entitled “Studies on plant growth promoting rhizobacteria associated with maize (Zea mays L.) under mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh” was carried out during the Kharif seasons of 2013-14 to isolate and screen bacterial isolates from rhizosphere/endorhizosphere of maize plants from Solan, Sirmour and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh. A total of 40 isolates were isolated and purified by using replica plate method. Only 15 isolates were selected on the basis of morphological characteristics for screening of multiple PGP traits. Out of 15 isolates, the best 5 isolates (DHK, MAT1, MAT2, KAN and NRG) were selected for net house studies, on the basis of various PGP traits (N-fixation, P-solubilization, siderophore and HCN production) and antagonism against Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani causing root rot and banded leaf and sheath spot, respectively. Bacterial isolate DHK showed maximum (78.9% and 163.7 µg/ml) P- solubilization qualitatively and quantitatively, respectively as well as growth on Jensen’s medium, siderophore production (73.7%), IAA production (33.7 µg/ml), HCN production and antagonism against Fusarium oxysporum (45.6%) and Rhizoctonia solani (36.1%). Plants treated with isolate DHK showed significantly increase in shoot length (52.3%), shoot biomass (64.4%), root length (62.1%), root biomass (53.8%), seed germination (27.6%) and over uninoculated control, along with maximum NPK uptake and availability. Further, on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing the DHK isolate was identified as Bacillus subtilis. Hence this isolate has good prospects to use as biofertilizers, biocontrol agent and biostimulant not only to enhance maize productivity but also to sustain soil health under mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh.