Effect of application of phosphate solubilizing bacteria and organic fertilizers on soil phosphorus solubility and growth of maize (Zea mays var. saccharata Sturt L.) on andisols

Abstract

Phosphate solubilizing microbes are a group of soil microbes that have the ability to extract P from bonds with Al, Fe, Ca, and Mg, so that they can dissolve P that is not available to become available for plants. This is because these microbes release organic acids which can form stable complexes with P-binding cations in the soil. The aim of this experiment was to study application of phosphate solubilizing bacteria and organic fertilizer to increase solubility of soil P through mineralization process of organic P to inorganic P and also solubility of P which adsorbed so that increase P available of Andisols and also increase of plant growth of maize. Design experiment of Randomized Block Design (RBD) was used in green house experiment, consisted of 12 treatments and three replications. The treatment consisted of three isolates (based on selection result) i.e. control (without both isolate and organic manure), Bacillus mycoides, B macerans, and Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes, respectively, combined with organic manure (cow manure and compost derived from bamboo leaf) and applied on Andisols soil. The result of experiment revealed that application of PSB and organic manure significantly increased of phosphatase activity and available P, decreased of soil organic P, but did not significant effect growth of maize on Andisols from Lembang. Inoculation of P. pseudoalcaligenes combined with compost gave significant effect on increase of available P and decrease of organic P.