Effect of Microbial Amendments on Root and Seed Yield of Radish

Abstract

Abstract Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) is important for human diet and medicinal purposes. It can be grown in a wide range of climates. Suitable fertilizer management is required for adequate root and seed production of radish. Microbial amendments may affect root and seed yield. An experiment was conducted to judge the efficacy of 10 treatments of combinations of microbial amendments and inorganic fertilizers on root and seed yield of radish. Results indicated that the phosphate solubilizer bacteria (PSB), Bacillus polymixa, in combination with an N:P:K fertilizer increased root yield of radish. The bacterium Azospirillum or PSB at the same rate of inorganic fertilizer was equally effective for seed production. Correlation-regression and path analysis indicated that shoot-root ratio by weight, root characteristics and days to 50% flowering are important characters towards root and seed yield of radish. When all yield characters were considered, multivariate analysis produced dendrograms with three or four...