Abstract
The effect bio-fertilizer composed of Azotobacter and Pseudomonas spp. was investigated on yield and yield components of malt barley (H. vulgar L). The treatments which were laid at Bekoji, a potential malt barley district in the southeastern highlands of Ethiopia, Azotobacter + Pseudomonas + 46/20.2 N/P kg ha -1, Pseudomonas +46/20.2 N/P kg ha -1, 46/20.2 N/P kg ha -1, Azotobacter +46/20.2 N/P kg ha -1, Azotobacter + Pseudomonas, Azotobacter, Pseudomonas, C- (uninoculated and unfertilized) in randomized complete block design(RCBD) with three replications. Results indicated that application of the bio-fertilizer treatments alone resulted in the minimum performance of different agronomic parameters studied, while inorganic fertilizer application with dual inoculation with Azotobacter + Pseudomonas gives the highest and significant effect on grain yield, harvest index, biological yield, plant height, and thousand seed weight as compared to other treatments. But this trend was not observed in the number of spikes for that case the result was reversed. Hence, the study showed that the use of chemical fertilizer along with dual inoculation (Azotobacter +Pseudomonas) should be considered as a component of inputs especially in inorganic farming systems of malt barley production. Keywords : Malt barley, Azotobacter, Pseudomonas, Bio-fertilizer. DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/12-11-04 Publication date: June 30 th 2021
Highlights
Malt barley (Hordeum vulgar L.) is a major income source to smallholder farmers in the highland areas of Ethiopia, where the agro-ecologies are not more productive than other cereal crops (MoA (Ministry of Agriculture), 2018)
Application of Pseudomonas + 46/20.2 kg NP ha-1 increased the number of spikes per m2 by 28.6% and 33.1% compared to the control and Azotobacter alone, respectively
Inoculation of seeds with the bio-fertilizer (Pseudomonas or Azotobacter) treatment along with the application of chemical NP fertilizer increased the number of spikes per m2 by 24.2 % to 28.6% compared to non-inoculated plants (Table 3)
Summary
Malt barley (Hordeum vulgar L.) is a major income source to smallholder farmers in the highland areas of Ethiopia, where the agro-ecologies are not more productive than other cereal crops (MoA (Ministry of Agriculture), 2018). In Ethiopia, barley productivity (2.66 t/ha) is lower compared to that of other barleyproducing countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, and the Netherlands where mean productivities are 8.0, 7.6, and 7.0 t/ha, respectively) (FAOSTAT, 2018). This is due to the combination of genetic, socioeconomic constraints and inappropriate use of integrated technologies. Plant growthpromoting bacteria based on their metabolic activity can be grouped into biofertilizers, phytostimulants, or biopesticides These efficient bacteria due to various direct or indirect effects exerted on plants have a crucial role in agricultural sustainability. Plant growth-promoting rhizobia (PGPR) can produce hormones that stimulate plant growth, make nutrients available, fix atmospheric nitrogen, act as bio-control agents, and improve soil structure and Carboxylic acid production, decreasing pH and bound calcium and other nutrient availability (Ashok K and Vijay SM, 2019)
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