Advisor: Nemade, Dr. S. M.Authors: PANDA, DEBESH KUMAR2022-02-142022-02-142019-06-24Citation: PANDA, DEBESH KUMAR. (2019). Effect of liquid inoculants of Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria on growth and yield of sorghum. Department of Agronomy, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola. M. Sc. 2019. Print. xiv, 87p. (Unpublished).https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810182249Description: The investigation studied the interaction of different biofertilizer inoculants of Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria on sorghum for growth, yield attributes and yield of the crop and also impact on nutrient uptake by the crop. The study has also tried to identify productive and profitable combination of liquid inoculants in sorghum.Abstract: A field experiment entitled “Effect of liquid inoculants of Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria on growth and yield of sorghum” was undertaken during the kharif season of 2018 on clay loam soil of Sorghum Research Unit, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola (Maharashtra). An experiment was laid out in the factorial randomized block design in three replications. There were twelve treatment combinations consisting of three different levels of RDF viz., F1 - 50% RDF, F2 -75% RDF, F3 -100% RDF (80:40:40 kg/ha of N:P2O5:K2O) and four seed treatments viz., S1 -Control (without seed treatment and only application of fertilizer), S2 - seed treatment with Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria @ 25 g each/kg seed, S3 - seed treatment with liquid Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria @ 2 ml each/kg seed and S4 - seed treatment with liquid Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria @ 4 ml each/kg seed. Among different levels of RDF, 100% RDF recorded significantly higher plant height (203.68 cm), total dry matter (g/plant) accumulation (145.50 g), grain yield (43.06 q/ha), fodder yield (92.75 q/ha), protein content (9.61%), protein yield (414.26 kg/ha), NPK uptake, available nutrient status (kg/ha), GMR (Rs 101024/ha), NMR (Rs 75818/ha) and B:C ratio (3.01). However, application of 50% RDF recorded significantly higher rhizospheric effect (cfu/g of soil) of both Azospirillum and PSB at seedling, flowering and grain filling stages. Seed treatment with liquid Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria @ 4 ml each/kg seed recorded significantly higher plant height (198.93 cm), total dry matter (g/plant) accumulation (140.79 g), grain yield (43.27 q/ha), fodder yield (93.78 q/ha), protein content (9.60%), protein yield (415.53 kg/ha), NPK uptake, available nutrient status (kg/ha), rhizospheric effect (cfu/g of soil) of both Azospirillum and PSB at seedling, flowering and grain filling stages. GMR (Rs 101687/ha), NMR (Rs 76981/ha) and B:C ratio (3.11) over other seed treatments. However, S4 - seed treatment with liquid Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria @ 4 ml each/kg seed was statistically at par with S3 - seed treatment with liquid Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria @ 2 ml each/kg seed in growth, yield, nutrient uptake and economics of sorghum. Thus, application of 100% RDF and seed treatment with liquid Azospirillum brasilense and phosphate solubilizing bacteria @ 2 ml each/kg seed found promising over other respective treatments.EnglishAgro tags: Crop, Field Crops, Sorghum, Sorghum bicolor, Production practices, Agronomy, Basal Dressings, Fertilizers, Fertilizer Application, Inorganic Fertilizers, Nutrient Management, Soil Science and Microbiology, Microbiology, Microorganisms, Soil Sciences, Soil Biology, Soil Fertility, Biological Activity in Soil, Soil Microorganisms, Soil Improvement, Statistics and experimentation, Experimentation, Field experimentation, Statistical methods, Data collection, Design, Data analysis, Experimental design.Thesis