DEVELOPMENT OF MICROBIAL CONSORTIA FOR CONVERSION OF ORGANIC WASTE TO COMPOST AND TO EVALUATE ITS EFFICACY IN PLANT GROWTH PROMOTION IN Solanum lycopersicum L.
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Date
2024-04-18
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UHF Nauni
Abstract
The present study evaluated seven potential hydrolytic enzyme-producing in-house bacterial
isolates from the Microbiology laboratory of Basic Sciences. These potential bacterial isolates were
morphologically and genotypically characterized and, identified as Bacillus subtilis (BM1), Bacillus
amyloliquefaciens (SH8), Paenibacillus polymyxa (G7), Bacillus aerius (GC6), Brevibacillus parabrevis
(C1), Bacillus axarequensis (P6), and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (P9). These isolates produced various
hydrolytic enzymes such as amylase, lipase, protease, cellulase, xylanase, pectinase, and laccase. These
isolates showed maximum inhibition zones against various plant pathogens and also checked for its
antibiogram activity. These were tested positive for various PGP attributes including ammonia, HCN, N2
fixation, protease, cellulase, chitinase, P-solubilization, siderophore, IAA, gibberellins, and cytokinin
production in primary and secondary screening. Salt tolerance capability, inter-biocompatibility was also
tested, and a liquid bioformulation was prepared for composting of different organic waste. Three solid
based carriers i.e. charcoal, talcum, and cocopeat were tested for the formation of soild bioformulation.
Charcoal was found to be the most effective solid carrier with the highest shelf life, outperforming talcum
and cocopeat for the degradation of organic waste. These charcoal based compost was tested for its
efficacy in Solanum lycopersicum L. under glass house conditions in a vegetable farm of UHF Nauni,
Solan. The T5(biocompost) treatment showed the highest number of primary branches, fruits, average fruit
weight, yield/plant, and plant height as compared to other treatments. A mature biocompost was produced
under a pit experiment in Sultanpur village with a darker brown color, higher nitrogen, phosphorus,
potassium, and Cu/Zn content as compared to the control. The compost was characterized using FTIR,
SEM, and TEM, revealing its successful formation as amorphous, fibrous, and more granular than the
control. This biocompost was then used in an open field conditions of Sultanpur where the highest yield of
tomato and physiochemical properties of soil was observed. The T5 biocompost treatment demonstrated
the highest number of primary branches/plant, fruits/plant, average fruit weight, yield/plant, fruit
yield/plot, yield/ha, and plant height in field conditions. A solid bioformulation was developed using
hydrolytic enzyme-producing isolates with PGP attributes to reduce chemical fertilizer usage in tomato
cultivation which enhances crop production, and reduces pollution.