Effect of Co-Application of <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying Stress
Water management techniques are improving at the farm level, but they are not enough to deal with the limited availability of water and increased crop yields. Soil microbes play a vital role in nitrogen fixation, improving soil fertility and enhancing plant growth hormones under drought conditions....
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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author | Bushra Ahmed Alhammad Muhammad Saqlain Zaheer Hafiz Haider Ali Akhtar Hameed Kholoud Z. Ghanem Mahmoud F. Seleiman |
author_facet | Bushra Ahmed Alhammad Muhammad Saqlain Zaheer Hafiz Haider Ali Akhtar Hameed Kholoud Z. Ghanem Mahmoud F. Seleiman |
author_sort | Bushra Ahmed Alhammad |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Water management techniques are improving at the farm level, but they are not enough to deal with the limited availability of water and increased crop yields. Soil microbes play a vital role in nitrogen fixation, improving soil fertility and enhancing plant growth hormones under drought conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of water management combined with <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on wheat crop productivity and soil properties in dry regions. Three water management techniques were compared, normal irrigation as a control (C), deficit irrigation (DI), and partial root drying irrigation (PRD), together with the interaction of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Experiments were conducted with six treatments in total: T<sub>1</sub> = C + No PGPR, T<sub>2</sub> = C + PGPR, T<sub>3</sub> = DI + No PGPR, T<sub>4</sub> = DI + PGPR, T<sub>5</sub> = PRD + No PGPR, and T<sub>6</sub> = PRD + PGPR. The highest grain yield was achieved in the control irrigation treatment using seeds inoculated with rhizobacteria, followed by control treatment without any inoculation, and the lowest was recorded with deficit irrigation without rhizobacteria inoculated in the seeds. However, PRD irrigation resulted in significantly higher plant growth and grain yield than the DI treatment. PGPR inoculation combined with PRD resulted in a 22% and 20% higher number of grains per spike, a 19% and 21% higher grain yield, and a 25% and 22% higher crop growth rate compared to rhizobacteria inoculation combined with the DI system in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively. This increase was due to the higher production of growth hormones and higher leaf area index under water-limited conditions. A greater leaf area index leads to a higher chlorophyll content and higher food production for plant growth. |
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spelling | doaj.art-8cf1425a7a7b407989913c6890b99bdc2023-11-19T08:41:56ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-08-011217314110.3390/plants12173141Effect of Co-Application of <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying StressBushra Ahmed Alhammad0Muhammad Saqlain Zaheer1Hafiz Haider Ali2Akhtar Hameed3Kholoud Z. Ghanem4Mahmoud F. Seleiman5Biology Department, College of Science and Humanity Studies, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 292, Riyadh 11942, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan 64200, PakistanDepartment of Agriculture, Government College University, Lahore 54000, PakistanInstitute of Plant Protection, MNS University of Agriculture Multan, Multan 61000, PakistanDepartment of Biological Science, College of Science and Humanities, Shaqra University, Riyadh 11961, Saudi ArabiaPlant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaWater management techniques are improving at the farm level, but they are not enough to deal with the limited availability of water and increased crop yields. Soil microbes play a vital role in nitrogen fixation, improving soil fertility and enhancing plant growth hormones under drought conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of water management combined with <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on wheat crop productivity and soil properties in dry regions. Three water management techniques were compared, normal irrigation as a control (C), deficit irrigation (DI), and partial root drying irrigation (PRD), together with the interaction of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Experiments were conducted with six treatments in total: T<sub>1</sub> = C + No PGPR, T<sub>2</sub> = C + PGPR, T<sub>3</sub> = DI + No PGPR, T<sub>4</sub> = DI + PGPR, T<sub>5</sub> = PRD + No PGPR, and T<sub>6</sub> = PRD + PGPR. The highest grain yield was achieved in the control irrigation treatment using seeds inoculated with rhizobacteria, followed by control treatment without any inoculation, and the lowest was recorded with deficit irrigation without rhizobacteria inoculated in the seeds. However, PRD irrigation resulted in significantly higher plant growth and grain yield than the DI treatment. PGPR inoculation combined with PRD resulted in a 22% and 20% higher number of grains per spike, a 19% and 21% higher grain yield, and a 25% and 22% higher crop growth rate compared to rhizobacteria inoculation combined with the DI system in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively. This increase was due to the higher production of growth hormones and higher leaf area index under water-limited conditions. A greater leaf area index leads to a higher chlorophyll content and higher food production for plant growth.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/17/3141crop yieldwater stresspartial root dryingrhizobacteriasoil fertility |
spellingShingle | Bushra Ahmed Alhammad Muhammad Saqlain Zaheer Hafiz Haider Ali Akhtar Hameed Kholoud Z. Ghanem Mahmoud F. Seleiman Effect of Co-Application of <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying Stress Plants crop yield water stress partial root drying rhizobacteria soil fertility |
title | Effect of Co-Application of <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying Stress |
title_full | Effect of Co-Application of <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying Stress |
title_fullStr | Effect of Co-Application of <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying Stress |
title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Co-Application of <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying Stress |
title_short | Effect of Co-Application of <i>Azospirillum brasilense</i> and <i>Rhizobium pisi</i> on Wheat Performance and Soil Nutrient Status under Deficit and Partial Root Drying Stress |
title_sort | effect of co application of i azospirillum brasilense i and i rhizobium pisi i on wheat performance and soil nutrient status under deficit and partial root drying stress |
topic | crop yield water stress partial root drying rhizobacteria soil fertility |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/17/3141 |
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