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RELATIVE EFFICACY OF PSEUDOMONAS SPP., CONTAINING ACC-DEAMINASE FOR IMPROVING GROWTH AND YIELD OF MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.) IN THE PRESENCE OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER

M. NAVEED¹, M. KHALID¹*, D.L. JONES², R. AHMAD³ AND Z.A. ZAHIR¹

Abstract: This study was designed to assess the performance of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) containing ACC-deaminase for improving growth and yield of maize in the presence of organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer was prepared by composting fruit and vegetable wastes in a locally-fabricated unit and enriched with N fertilizer applied @ 147 g kg-1 compost. This ‘organic fertilizer’ was used to formulate bio-fertilizers by using three PGPR strains containing ACC-deaminase, Pseudomonas putida biotype A (Q7), Pseudomonas fluorescens (Q14) and Pseudomonas fluorescens biotype G (N3), separately. The organic- and/or bio-fertilizers were applied to maize @ 300 kg ha-1 without/with 88 kg ha-1 urea-N in the field trials. A basal dose of P and K (100 and 50 kg ha-1, respectively) was applied to all plots and also tested in the field trials in the absence of organic-/bio-fertilizer. Results of field study revealed that the organic fertilizer supplemented with 88 kg ha-1 N was equally effective to full dose of N-fertilizer (175 kg ha-1) in improving cob weight, fresh biomass and grain yield of maize. However, bio-fertilizer supplemented with 88 ha-1 N fertilizer significantly increased the growth and yield of maize over full dose of N-fertilizer and exhibited superiority over organic fertilizer. Organic-/bio-fertilizer application also significantly enhanced N, P and K uptakes. The Pseudomonas fluorescens biotype G (N3) containing biofertilizer was found best to increase grain yield and nutrient uptake both in the presence or absence of 88 kg N ha-1. Results may imply that organic waste could be composted into value-added soil amendment by enriching/blending it with N and PGPR containing ACC-deaminase activity. This approach is based on using organic- or bio-fertilizers (N-enriched and inoculated compost) at lower rates (just 300 kg ha-1) instead of tons ha-1 of non-enriched composts. Moreover, this strategy could also be useful to protect our environments against threat posed by organic wastes.

¹Institute of Soil & Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan

²School of the Environment and Natural Resources, Environment Centre Wales, Bangor University, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK

³Land Resources Research Program, National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad-45500, Pakistan.

*Corresponding author: E-mail: drkhaliduaf@yahoo.com