EFFICIENCY OF PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF TOMATO GROWTH
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Date
2012
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
Plant growth promoting rhozobacteria (PGPR) are known to influence plant growth by various
direct or indirect mechanisms. Environmental protection and the need to enhance agricultural output
have made research in new sustainable technologies necessary. As in most sectors of agriculture, there
is increasing demand for organic tomatoes. Therefore, the overall strategy for increasing crop yields,
sustaining them at a high level and maintaining proper soil health must include an integrate approach to
develop effective and more consistent active plant growyh promoting rhozobacteria (PGPR) inocula,
because, there is a considerable experimental support for the idea that PGPR may be used as
biofertilizers and biocontrol agent to increase the early growth of tomato seedlings in the nursery and
subsequently the yield with concomitant decrease in the chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore,
the aim of this study is to screen the indegeneous plant growth promoting rhizobacterial isolates for
multifarious plant growth promoting traits and to determine the effect of inoculation with PGPR’s on
growth of tomato seedlings in filter paper assay and in soil less medium under growth chamber. The
bacterial strains were characterized for plant growth promoting activities and antifungal-antibiotic
activities under in vitro conditions. Seed bacterization with bacterial strains increased the germination
percent and overall root/shoot parameters of tomato seedlings in filter paper assay and under growth
chamber. Among twenty seven bacterial strains, including refrence strain, isolate S2 showed significant
effect in filter paper assay with maximum increase in per cent germination, root length, plant dry
weight and vigour index. Isolate *S25 showed maximum increase in root length, root dry weight, shoot
dry weight and plant biomass in growth chamber. *S25 also possessed maximum P-solubilization,
maximum IAA production, siderophore synthesis, chitinase activity, protease activity, ability to fix
atmospheric nitrogen and antifungal activity against Alternaria solani, D.necatrix and Sclerotium
rolfsii. Therefore, *S25 strain had considerable growth promotion and biocontrol ability, and it could be
used as a biofertilizer or biocontrol agent.
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Keywords
---, rhozobacteria (PGPR) ,Plant growth promoting