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EFFECT OF DIAZOTROPHS (RHIZOBIUM AND AZATEBACTOR) ON GROWTH OF MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.) AND ACCUMULATION OF LEAD (PB) IN DIFFERENT PLANT PARTS

FAZAL HADI^1,2 * AND ASGHARI BANO¹

Abstract: The effects of diozotrophs which fix atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium ions on lead (Pb) phytoextraction and their subsequent effect on the growth of maize (Zea mays L.) was evaluated  in a green house study. Rhizobium leguminosarum strain TAL-102 and Azotobacter chroococcum were used as single culture as well as co-culture. In single culture inoculations, the Rhizobium showed better reponse than Azatobacter, whilst the co-inoculation  treatment showed  highly significant increase in growth as well as in dry biomass of plant in Pb polluted soil.  Highly significant increase in Pb accumulation was found in plant co-inoculated with Rhizobium + Azatobacter as compared to control. In single culture treatments, the Rhizobium was superior than Azatobacter in enhancing Pb uptake by the plant.  In roots and stem all the treatments either in single culture or co-culture inoculation showed significant increase in Pb accumulation as compared to control, however the Pb translocation into leaves was significant only in co-inoculated culture. Conclusively the co-inoculation was much better than single culture inoculations in  Pb phytoextraction along with increase in plant growth and biomass.

¹Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

²School of Biological Sciences, University of Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK

^*Corresponding author: +44-7888002404    +92-3349308644

E-mail: fazal.hadi@plymouth.ac.uk; fazalbiotech@yahoo.com