Abstract:
Biofertilizer is one of the stratagems for sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation that facilitates nutrient uptake to the plant by mobilizing the soil’s inaccessible minerals whether used in conjunction with chemical fertilizers or independently. The fundamental determinant of biofertilizer efficacy lies in the viability of beneficial bacteria, also called as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), that hinges upon the storage conditions and the carrier material. To assess these two critical factors, present study examined the impact of four previously characterized nextgeneration inoculums, five different carrier materials (peat moss, filter mud, animal compost, plant
compost, and biochar), and a range of temperatures - specifically tailored to the temperature zones, prevalent in Pakistan - on the viability and PGP trait of PGPR after 1, 3 and 6 months of storage. Concisely, The purification of PGPR from carriers was confirmed through morphological and molecular characterization by microscopy and DNA fingerprinting respectively. The calculated CFU count and efficiency tests (N2 fixation, Ca mobilization, IAA production, and Zn and P solubilization) of purified isolates from all five carriers exhibited that peat moss provided the highest shelf life (1.17x1010 CFU) followed by filter mud (9.26x109 CFU) and animal compost (7.95x109 CFU) at
30°C up to six months. Among other carriers, biochar showed the least viable cell counts 2.36x109 CFU at 30°C. Moreover, the cell count of all the carrier materials was >109 at 30°C throughout six months, which justifies the efficiency of carriers for all four consortia. Additionally, Scanning Electron Microscopy of carrier materials before and after inoculation of next-generation biofertilizers inoculum also confirmed the presence of inoculated bacteria. Pathological and toxicity analysis of all the carrier materials revealed that all six bioformulations are safe to use without any health implications. Furthermore, the temperature variations on all carriers comprehend that a range from 30° to 0°C is the optimum temperature for storage of bioformulation while minimum survival was observed at 50°C followed by 40°C. The results elaborated that inoculation of PGPR into various carriers survived at various temperatures without losing their PGP characteristics or endangering ecosystem’s health. This study provides insight into the storage and efficacy of new bioformulations
being developed in the lab.
Page(s):
149-149
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Abstract Book on International Conference on Food and Applied Sciences (ICFAS-23) 3-5 August 23, Volume: 0, Issue: 0, Year: 2023
Keywords:
PGPR
,
Sustainable agriculture
,
Biofertilizers
,
and Nextgeneration
,
Bioformulation