Abstract
We grew Azospirillum brasilense biomass in fed-batch culture for 28 h using succinic acid as a C source and liquid NH 3 as N source. Viable cell concentration reached 1–3 × 10 10 CFU ml −1 after 28 h. Ground or granular peat, serving as carriers for the bacteria, maintained the highest number of A. brasilense compared to vermiculite, talcum powder, basalt granules or bentonite. A. brasilense viable counts declined from about 10 10 CFU g −1 peat to 10 5–10 6 CFU g −1 peat after 6 months. A pot system for evaluating the effect of A. brasilense inoculants on plant growth in greenhouses demonstrated that application of peat-carrier containing 10 8 CFU g −1 peat, significantly increased panicle length and dry weight of Setaria italica and ear and kernel weight of maize ( Zea mays L). Highest growth promotion effects on maize were observed when using A. brasilense cells containing 40% polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and by applying the peat inoculant 2 cm below the maize seed.
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