Synergetic effect of indigenous PGPR consortium on growth and yield of cultivated wheat (Triticum aestivum) in the Saurashtra region of India

Agricultural Microbiology

Abstract

This study was carried out to create a microbial consortium from native species of wheat rhizosphere co-inoculated with exotic Azotobacter chromococcum to understand their effects on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and crop yield. Seven bioactive bacterial strains were isolated from three district of the semi-arid region of Saurashtra (21.867°N, 70.8120°E), Gujarat, India. The results of the study showed that the PGPR consortium with or without Azotobacter chroococcum had a significant impact on wheat yield and quality parameters in relation to the control. Microbial consortia of identified strains Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter sp., and Erwinia sp give the significant result in terms of tillers number (32.5%, 9.5%), shoot height (8.4%, 5.2%), dry shoot weight (38.6%, 4.11%), flower cone number (34%, 16%) at 60 days after showing (DAS). This consortium significantly impacts 1000 seeds weight (31.44%, 25.6%), spikelets spike-1 (29.26%, 14.6%), spike plant-1 (14.79%, 13%) grain yield (24.4%, 11.28%) yield parameters of wheat.