VIDHI ARORA*, GULAB PANDOVE, SUKHDEEP KAUR BRAR, HARPREET KAUR OBEROI AND ANU KALIA
Department of Microbiology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141004 (Punjab), India
Punjab Agricultural University, Regional Research Station, Bathinda-151001 (Punjab), India
Punjab Agricultural University, Regional Research Station, Bathinda-151001 (Punjab), India
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141004 (Punjab), India
Electron Microscopy and Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Soil Science, PAU, Ludhiana-141004, India
*(e-mail: vidhiarora02@gmail.com)
(Received : 15 December 2023; Accepted : 29 December 2023)
SUMMARY
Bacterial inoculants play a crucial role in enhancing agricultural productivity by facilitating nutrient uptake. However, the viability retention of these inoculants in liquid formulations remains a critical concern. The present study was carried out to investigate the viability retention of liquid bacterial inoculants (LBI) of Azotobacter sp., Sphingobacterium sp., Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Burkholderia seminalis under different storage conditions. It was recorded that all the bacterial inoculants amended with 5mM trehalose remained viable upto a storage period of six months. A field experiment of forage pearl millet was conducted during kharif 2020 at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and Punjab Agricultural University, Regional Research Station, Bathinda involving combinations of LBI alongwith 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF). It was observed that the treatment consisting of B. seminalis and S. maltophilia alongwith RDF yielded the highest green fodder and dry matter yield with percentage increase of 13.05 and 9.8 respectively, compared to the control. This research underscores the importance of optimizing storage conditions to maintain inoculant viability and highlights the pivotal role of viable bacterial populations in maximizing agricultural productivity and sustainability.
Key words: Azotobacter sp., Burkholderia seminalis, forage pearl millet, liquid bacterial inoculants, Sphingobacterium sp., Stenotrophomonas maltophilia