ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5069-3955
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Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 02-2023
DOI: 10.3389/FPLS.2022.1094551
Abstract: The burgeoning population of the world is causing food insecurity not only by less food availability but also by the malnutrition of essential nutrients and vitamins. Malnutrition is mostly linked with food having micronutrients lower than the optimal concentration of that specific food commodity and becoming an emerging challenge over the globe. Microbial biofortification in agriculture ensures nutritional security through microbial nitrogen fixation, and improved phosphate and zinc solubilization, which increase the uptake of these nutrients. The present study evaluates the novel plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to biofortify maize gain. For this purpose, a pot and two field experiments for maize were conducted. PGPRs were applied alone and in combination for a better understanding of the biofortification potential of these strains. At physiological maturity, the growth parameters, and at harvest, the yield, microbial population, and nutritional status of maize were determined. Results revealed that the consortium (ZM27+ZM63+S10) has caused the maximum increase in growth under pot studies like plant height (31%), shoot fresh weight (28%), shoot dry weight (27%), root fresh (33%) and dry weights (29%), and microbial count (21%) in the maize rhizosphere. The mineral analysis of the pot trial also revealed that consortium of ZM27+ZM63+S10 has caused 28, 16, 20, 11 and 11% increases in P, N, K, Fe, and Zn contents in maize, respectively, as compared to un-inoculated treatment in pot studies. A similar trend of results was also observed in both field trials as the consortium of ZM27+ZM63+S10 caused the maximum increase in not only growth and biological properties but also caused maximum biofortification of mineral nutrients in maize grains. The grain yield and 1000-grain weight were also found significantly higher 17 and 12%, respectively, under consortium application as compared to control. So, it can be concluded from these significant results obtained from the PGPR consortium application that microbial inoculants play a significant role in enhancing the growth, yield, and quality of the maize. However, the extensive evaluation of the consortium may help in the formulation of a biofertilizer for sustainable production and biofortification of maize to cope with nutritional security.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 21-12-2022
DOI: 10.3390/HORTICULTURAE9010008
Abstract: Crop yields, soil fertility, and soil quality decline due to the overuse of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals. The damaging effects of these agrochemicals on the environment can be minimized by integration with eco-friendly approaches, i.e., biofertilizers. These eco-friendly biofertilizers containing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, (PGPR) not only solubilize mineral nutrients for crop uptake but also release phytohormones for their growth improvements. The objective of this research is to use these PGPR’s capacity to promote growth in order to increase okra production. For this purpose, different organic carriers were used, i.e., Press mud, Charcoal, Biochar, Peat, and Compost for PGPR’s inoculation. Before being used as a consortium with various carrier materials, the pre-isolated and characterized PGPR strains (AN-35, ZM-27, and ZM-63) were tested for compatibility against one another. The PGPR consortium and carriers were applied in the following treatments, i.e., T0: (control), T1: PGPR, T2: Peat + PGPR, T3: Pressmud+ PGPR, T4: Compost + PGPR, T5: Charcoal + PGPR, and T6: Biochar + PGPR in the present pot and field studies. Under the pot experiment, the results depicted that all treatments showed a significant increase in okra growth, nutrient contents, and yield of okra along with increasing the microbial biomass in the soil but the treatment containing PGPR consortium with peat caused the maximum increase. Similarly, the results of the field experiment also showed a significant increase under all treatments but the maximum increase in nutrient contents, growth attributes, and yield of okra was found under the treatment containing PGPR consortium with peat (T2). Therefore, this study recommends the use of peat and studied the PGPR consortium as a suitable carrier to develop carrier-based biofertilizers for sustainable okra production.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 27-09-2022
DOI: 10.3390/SU141912255
Abstract: Long-term use of chemical fertilizers is affecting the environment, soil quality, and bio ersity. Organic agriculture is gaining global attention by using microbial-based biofertilizers. Carriers protect microbes by providing nutrition, energy, and suitable conditions for their survival while entering the natural environments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of different carrier materials to enhance the yield and the quality of spinach and to select the best carrier material for spinach biofertilizer. Three pre-isolated and characterized bacterial strains (AN-35, ZM-27, and ZM-63) were tested for their compatibility and used in this experiment through seed inoculation with organic carriers, i.e., compost, peat, press mud, biochar, and charcoal. A pot experiment and a field experiment were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different organic carriers. The results of the pot study showed a significant increase in spinach growth, i.e., shoot length (25%), shoot fresh weight (24%), root length (25%), and root fresh weight (29%), spinach nutrition, i.e., nitrogen (18%), phosphorus (22%), potassium (15%), iron (17%), and zinc (14%), spinach physiology, i.e., relative water content (27%), chlorophyll content (9%), and the membrane stability index (28%) under peat coated treatments with 24% more soil microbial populations compared to the control. Similarly, in the field experiment, peat coating significantly enhanced spinach growth, i.e., shoot length (29%), shoot fresh weight (23%), root length (16%), and root fresh weight (24.7%), spinach nutrition, i.e., nitrogen (16%), phosphorus (19%), potassium (15%), iron (17%), and zinc (23%), spinach physiology, i.e., relative water content (28%), chlorophyll content (13%) and the membrane stability index (32%), and spinach yield per hectare (30%), as well as producing 20% higher soil microbial populations. From these results, it is concluded that peat is a good carrier material for biofertilizer production as it not only enhances crop production but also the microbial number, in addition to improving soil quality.
No related grants have been discovered for Dr. Abubakar Dar.