Bacillus cereus UW85 inoculation effects on growth, nodulation, and N accumulation in grain legumes: Field studies

Abstract

Bacillus cereus strain UW85 was assessed for growth-promotion effects on soybean and common bean in the presence and absence of rhizobial inoculation at two field sites in Manitoba in 1994. Growth promotions due to B. cereus UW85 occurred for soybean only, and only at one site. Promotions in plant emergence in soybean were apparent at 60 d after planting (DAP), but stimulations in shoot dry weight (DW), N concentration, and N content were not apparent until 90 DAP. At maturity (120 DAP), inoculation with UW85 resulted in stimulation of seed yield by 9% and seed N content by 14%. However, stimulation in growth and N parameters by UW85 treatment was proportionally greater in the absence of B. japonicum inoculation than in the presence of the rhizobial inoculant. These observations, in combination with the observations that nitrogenase activity was not stimulated by UW85 treatment, clearly indicate that the UW85-mediated stimulation of growth and N accumulation of soybean is via a generalized stimulation of plant growth, and not via a stimulation in the soybean-B. japonicum symbiosis per se. Overall, our study indicates that inoculation with UW85 has the potential of increasing soybean production in western Canada, but these effects are site specific and are not seen in common bean. Key words: Bacillus cereus UW85, common bean, Glycine max, growth-promotion, Phaseolus vulgaris, soybean