Azotobacter chroococcum inoculation can improve plant growth and resistance of maize to armyworm, Mythimna separata even under reduced nitrogen fertilizer application.

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) is essential to crop yield improvement and it can change crops' ability to defend against herbivores. To maximize economic yield, a higher amount of N-fertilizer is often applied than the minimum required. Azotobacter is a good alternative to reduce N fertilizer application. In this study, we studied the yield and secondary defensive chemicals of maize, as well as the response of the key maize insect pest, Mythimna separata, as fed on maize plants inoculated with Azotobacter chroococcum and cultivated at different N fertilizer rates (i.e. the control rate of nitrogen fertilizer (CR), 80%CR and 60%CR) from 2018 to 2019. A. chroococcum inoculation just positively increased yield production of maize at 80%CR. Moreover, reduced N-fertilizer application and A. chroococcum inoculation had opposite impacts on the foliar contents of jasmonic acid (JA), isoleucine conjugate of JA (JA-Ile) and DIMBOA in maize, and they both negatively decreased the pupation rate and fecundity, and positively increased the eclosion rate and approximate digestibility (AD) of M. separata (P < 0.05). Furthermore, reduced N-fertilizer application negatively prolonged larval life-span, and decreased pupal weight, relative growth rate (RGR), efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) and efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) of M. separata even A. chroococcum inoculation had positive effects on these indexes of M. separata (P < 0.05). These results help in understanding of the effects of low-level N-fertilizer and A. chroococcum inoculation on maize production and maize resistance to insects. This will be conducive to the integrated control of agricultural pests. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.