Growth responses of tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) under protected environment to rhizobacterial inoculation
2000
Halimi Mohd Saud | Raffidah Zakaria | Mohd Razi Ismail
Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) or else known as biofertilizer is increasingly used in many horticulture applications. It is primarily used as an alternative or a supplement to chemical fertilizers. A study was conducted to determine the growth response of tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) grown in soilless culture media under protected environment when inoculated with different species of rhizobacteria. Azospirillum brasilense Sp7, Agrobacterium rhizogenes and locally isolated Bacillus spp. were used as inoculants. Tomatoes were planted in cultivation slabs containing a mixture of peat and coir dust. Inoculation of rhizobacteria was made when the plants were four and nine weeks old. The growing plants were also treated with three levels of fertilizer concentrations i.e. at 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0mS cm-¹ using drip irrigation. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications. The plants were harvested after twelve weeks of growth.The overall results showed that inoculation with PGPR could benefit the growth of tomatoes. Bacillus sp. UMB I0 with fertilizer concentration of 1.5 mS cm-¹ gave the highest values in terms of plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter and plant top dry weight. However fruit yield was better with Azospirillum and 3.0 mS cm-¹ of fertilizer together with treatment using Agrobacterium with 1.5 mS-¹ of fertilizer. Soluble solids content was highest with Bacillus and 3.0 mS cm-¹ of fertilizer. Treatment with 6.0 mS cm-¹ of fertilizer gave a considerably lower values compared to a diluter concentration of fertilizer either with or without inoculation. In terms of overall plant growth, Bacillus performed much better than Azospirillum or Agrobacterium, but the fruit yield was better with Azospirillum and Agrobacterium rather than Bacillus. However, fruit yield with Bacillus is still much higher than control treatments without any inoculation. The study showed that tomatoes can be grown at a lower concentration of fertilizer and PGPR can be used to supplement the nutrient inputs.
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