Open Access

ARTICLE

Boosting forage yield and quality of maize (Zea mays L.) with multi-species bacterial inoculation in Pakistan

Iqbal A¹, MA Iqbal¹, A Iqbal¹, Z Aslam¹, M Maqsood¹, Z Ahmad², N Akbar¹, HZ Khan¹, RN Abbas¹, RD Khan¹, G Abbas¹, M Faisal¹

1 Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.
2 Cholistant Institute of Desert Studies, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Address correspondence to: Muhammad Aamir Iqbal, Phone: +92-3143142187, e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2017, 86(all), 84-88. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2017.86.084

Abstract

Seed inoculation with bacterial species has the potential to increase yield and agro-qualitative attributes of forage crops. This study determined the response of forage maize to three plant growth promoting rhizobacteria [PGPR1 (Azotobacter chroococcum), PGPR2 (Pseudomonas flourescens) and PGPR3 (Bacillus megaterium)] inoculated individually and in different combinations (PGPR1+2, PGPR1+3, PGPR2+3 and PGPR1+2+3). A non-inoculated treatment was kept as a control. We used a completely randomized block design with four replicates. The PGPR1+2+3 treatment showed an outstanding performance by improving yield attributes, green forage yield, dry matter biomass, crude protein and total ash. The same treatment gave the lowest crude fiber concentration. It was followed by PGPR2+3 which in turn was followed by PGPR1+2. Hence, our study suggests that employment of multi-species bacterial inoculation is an effective technique to improve economical production and agro-qualitative attributes of forage maize.

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