Effects of Bioinoculants on Total Chlorophyll Content, Yield of Soybean and Fertility Status of a Vertisols

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted at the Research Farm, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (INDIA), during kharif season 2019-2020. The study was aimed to find out the effects of bioinoculants on total chlorophyll content, soybean yield and fertility status of a Vertisols. There were 15 treatments comprised of different beneficial microbial consortia in possible combinations applied as seed treatments with three replications in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Amongst these, two control plots were maintained as fertilized un-inoculated control (FUI) and unfertilized un-inoculated control (UFUI). The recommended dose of fertilizers for soybean is 20 N : 80 P2O5 : 20 K2O kg ha-1. The data generated on total chlorophyll contents, yield of soybean and fertility status of soilwere statistically analyzed and the results showed that the significant enhancement were noticed by the application of consortia NPK+EM+PGPR in total chlorophyll contents of soybean leaves at 25, 45 and 65 DAS over control. Similarly, significant increases in the soybean yield (seed and stover) were also found by the NPK+EM+PGPRconsortia over FUI (control). Further, results revealed that the application of consortia NPK+EM+PGPR improved the organic carbon and available NPK in a Vertisols. Therefore, it may be concluded that the NPK + EM + PGPR consortia was superior for sustainable soybean productivity and soil fertility.