Effect of Co-Inoculation of Multi-Traits Bacteria Based Bio-Formulations on the Growth, Yield and Enzyme Activities of Tea

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate possible effects of mineral fertilizer (NPK), one commercial and three N2-fixing, P-solubilizing and/or ACC deaminase-containing bacteria based bio-fertilizers in triple strains combinations (BF9: Bacillus megaterium 47/9+ Paenibacillus macquariensis RC696 + Pseudomonas fluorescens 9/7; BF10: Bacillus megaterium RC665+ Paenibacillus macquariensis RC382 + Pseudomonas fluorescens 9/7; BF11: Bacillus simplex RC64 + Pseudomonas putida 3/10 + Burkholderia pyrrocinia RC134) were evaluated for their growth and enzyme activities of tea under acidic soil conditions, in three years. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with six treatments and four replicates (each having five tea bushes). Bio-fertilizers formulations stimulated overall plant growth, including leaf area, green leaf yield, chlorophyll content and enzyme activities in tea. In addition, inoculation with bacterial formulation, activities of the different enzymes like glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, urease, 5-dehydroshikimate reductase, and alcohol dehydrogenases also changed. The selected effective acid-tolerant multi-traits bacteria based bio-formulations could play an important role in understanding the plant tolerance and adaptation to stress, processing technology, and may contribute to the concept of the quality of tea products. This study shows that these indigenous beneficial rhizobacteria isolates have the potential to be used as microbial inoculation or bio fertilizer to stimulate tea crop growth and are promising for sustainable tea cultivation.