Influence of phosphate solubilizing non-toxigenic <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> strains on maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) growth parameters and mineral nutrients content

Abstract

<em>Background and Objective:</em> A major limiting factor to enhanced productivity/adequate food and nutritional security is how to meet up with higher food production demand in a sustainable manner. The conventional means of achieving this is by intensifying the application of agrochemicals; this is not sustainable and leads to negative impacts on the environment and human population. This investigation aimed at evaluating the growth improvement and nutrients content enhancing potential of <em>Aspergillus flavus</em> (AF) strains that have phosphate solubilizing ability on maize. <em>Materials and Methods:</em> Non-toxigenic <em>Aspergillus flavus</em> (AF) was isolated from maize rhizosphere. The isolate was improved using UV mutagenesis and then screened qualitatively and quantitatively for phosphate solubilizing ability. The wild type and the improved (AF) strains were tested on maize plant in pot trial experiment for plant growth improvement. <em>Results:</em> The result obtained from the pot experiment showed that the (AF) mutants significantly (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) increase growth indices in maize after 90 days of planting in all the tested parameters compared with control. Also, the findings indicated that the mineral nutrients content uptake of the maize plant was enhanced by the phosphate solubilizing (AF) mutated inoculants, when compared to the control. AF90 zinc and iron uptake was 45.6 and 142.6, while the control was 20.4 and 70.5 at harvest. <em>Conclusion:</em> This study revealed that non-toxigenic <em>Aspergillus flavus</em> strains having phosphate solubilizing potential can be successfully deployed as bioinoculants to improve maize yield and enhance food security in Nigeria.