EFFECT OF BIOFERTILIZERS AND FOLIAR APPLICATION OF ORGANIC ACIDS ON GROWTH ...

98 Pages·2016·1.88 MB·English

EFFECT OF BIOFERTILIZERS AND FOLIAR APPLICATION
OF ORGANIC ACIDS ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF
SOYBEAN [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

Thesis submitted to the
University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree of

Master of Science (Agriculture)
In
Agronomy

By

LINGARAJU N. N.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, DHARWAD
UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES,
DHARWAD – 580 005

JUNE, 2013
ADVISORY COMMITTEE

DHARWAD
JUNE, 2013
(C. S. HUNSHAL)
MAJOR ADVISOR

Chairman:
(C. S. HUNSHAL)

Members: 1.
(S. R. SALAKINAKOP)

2.
(V. P. CHIMMAD)

3.

(B. S. PATIL)

4.

(S. T. HUNDEKAR)
CONTENTS

Sl. Chapter Particulars
No.
CERTIFICATE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF PLATES
LIST OF APPENDICES
1 INTRODUCTION
2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.2 Effect of Biofertilizer on growth, yield and nutrient uptake of
Soybean
2.3. Effect of Bio-fertilizer on growth, yield and nutrient uptake of
other Pulses and oilseed Crops
2.4 Effect of foliar application of organic acids
3 MATERIAL AND METHODS
3.1 Location of experimental site
3.2 Soil characteristics of experimental site
3.3 Climatic conditions
3.5 Experimental details
3.6 Details of cultivation
3.7 Biometric Observation
3.8 Observation on yield and yield components
3.9 Quality parameters
3.10 Chemical analysis
3.11 Microbiological Analysis
3.12 Economics of the system
3.13 Statistical analysis and interpretation of data
Sl. No. Chapter Particulars
4. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
4.1 Plant growth parameters
4.2 Yield and yield components
4.3 Economic analysis
4.4 Nutrient uptake
4.5 Nutrient use efficiency
4.6 Soil analysis
4.7 Microbial analysis
5. DISCUSSION
5.1 Weather condition and crop performance
5.2 Influence of biofertilizers on crop growth, yield and nutrient
uptake by soybean
5.3 Influence of foliar spray of organic acids on crop growth, yield and
nutrient uptake by soybean
5.4 Interaction effects of biofertilizers and foliar spray of organic
acids
6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
REFERENCE
APPENDICES
LIST OF TABLES

Table
Title
No.
Method adopted in analysis of physical and chemical properties of
1
experimental site
Monthly meteorological date during crop growth period 2012 and the
2 average of 62 years (1950-2011) at Main Agricultural Research
Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
Plant height (cm) of soybean at different growth stages as influenced
3
by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Number of branches (plant-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
4
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Leaf area (dm2 plant-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
5
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Leaf area index of soybean at different growth stages as influenced by
6
biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Total dry matter production (g) of soybean at different growth stages
7
as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Number of pods plant-1 number of nodules plant-1 and chlorophyll
,
8 content (SPAD) in soybean as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar
application of organic acids
Number of seeds plant-1 100 seed weight (g) andseed yield plant-1 (g)
,
9 in soybean as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of
organic acids
Seed yield (q ha-1), haulm yield (q ha-1) and harvest index of soybean
10
as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Protein content of seeds (%) and protein yield (q ha-1) of soybean as
11
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Economics of soybean as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar
12
application of organic acids
Nitrogen uptake (kg ha-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
13
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Phosphorus uptake (kg ha-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
14
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Potassium uptake (kg ha-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
15
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Nutrient use efficiency (N and P O ) of soybean as influenced by
16a 2 5
biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Nutrient use efficiency (K O) of soybean as influenced by
2
16b biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Available nitrogen (kg ha-1), phosphorus (kg ha-1) and potassium (kg
17 ha-1) in soil at harvest of soybean as influenced by biofertilizers and
foliar application of organic acids
Rhizosphere P- Solubilizers population (Number X 104 g) in soybean
18 at different growth stages as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar
application of organic acids
Rhizobium colony count (Number X 104 g) in soybean at different
19 growth stages as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of
organic acids
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure
Title
No.
Monthly meteorological data during crop growth period (2012) and the
1 average of 62 years (1950-2011) at Main Agricultural Research
Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
2 Plan and layout of the experiment
Plant height (cm) of soybean at different growth stages as influenced
3
by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Number of branches (plant-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
4
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Leaf area (dm2 plant-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
5
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Leaf area index of soybean at different growth stages as influenced by
6
biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Total dry matter production (g) of soybean at different growth stages
7
as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Number of pods plant-1 100 seed weight (g) andseed yield plant-1 (g)
,
8 in soybean as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of
organic acids
Seed yield (q ha-1), haulm yield (q ha-1) and harvest index of soybean
9
as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Protein content of seeds (%), protein yield (q ha-1) and chlorophyll
10 content of soybean as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application
of organic acids
Economics of soybean as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar
11
application of organic acids
Nitrogen uptake (kg ha-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
12
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Phosphorus uptake (kg ha-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
13
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Potassium uptake (kg ha-1) of soybean at different growth stages as
14
influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Nutrient use efficiency (N, P O and K O) of soybean as influenced
15 2 5 2
by biofertilizers and foliar application of organic acids
Available nitrogen (kg ha-1), phosphorus (kg ha-1) and potassium (kg
16 ha-1) in soil at harvest of soybean as influenced by biofertilizers and
foliar application of organic acids
Rhizosphere P- Solubilizers population (Number X 104 g) in soybean
17 at different growth stages as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar
application of organic acids
Rhizobium colony count (Number X 104 g) in soybean at different
18 growth stages as influenced by biofertilizers and foliar application of
organic acids
LIST OF PLATES

Plate
Title
No.
1 General view of experimental plot
Plant height and number of branches as influenced by biofertilizers and
2
organic acids
Number of pods per plant as influenced by biofertilizers and organic
3
acids
4 Bacterial colony exhibiting P solubilization

LIST OF APPENDIX

Appendix
Title
No.
I Prices of input and output
II Cost of cultivation
INTRODUCTION
Pulses are important food crops as they provide the vital protein and vitamins in an average
Indian diet. Pulses are major source of dietary protein especially for vegetarians, which form a major
part of our population. India is the largest producer (25 per cent of world production) and consumer
(30 per cent of world consumption) of pulses. The level of pulses in India is far below the world
average. Since last four decades, area under pulses remained virtually unchanged (22-26.5 m ha)
and with almost stable production of 11-14.6 m t. The production and productivity of pulses has not
recorded considerable growth. As a result, the per capital availability of pulses has declined from 65 g
per day (1951-56) to 31.5 g day-1 in the past five decades which has led to the problem of
malnutrition. The per capita availability of pulses and main sources of protein has been showing
constant decline in the country. Thus, there is a need to increase the production of pulses to meet the
protein and also oil requirements of growing population by manipulating the production technologies
appropriately.
Soybean is the “Golden Bean” of the 20th Century, is a species of legume, native to East Asia,
widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather
than a pulse by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Though, cultivated primarily under
warm and hot climates, soybean was originally used as nitrogen fixer in early systems of crop rotation
due to very poor cook ability on account of inherent presence of trypsin inhibitor. It is now the first
largest oilseed crops in India after groundnut. It grows in varied agro-climatic conditions. It has
emerged as one of the important commercial crops in many countries. Due to its worldwide popularity,
the international trade of soybean is spread globally. Several countries such as Japan, China,
Indonesia, Philippines, and European countries are importing soybean to supplement their domestic
requirement for human consumption and cattle feed.
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merill) a grain legume is considered as a wonder crop due to its
dual qualities viz., high protein (40-43%) and oil content (20%). It was introduced in India during
1960s and is gaining rapid recognition as a highly desirable pulse and oil seed crop. India stands next
only to China in the Asia - Pacific region. In world it is grown in an area of 102.88 m ha with a
production of 239.77 m t. In India it is grown in an area of 10.18 m ha with a production of 12.28 m t
and productivity of 1207 kg ha-1 (2012). In Karnataka, it is grown in an area of 1.80 lakh hectares with
production of 1.85 million tonnes and productivity of 1012 kg/h (Anon, 2012). Soybean being the third
in area and production of overall commercial oil seed crops of the world, contributes 33 per cent of
our commercial oil seeds and 21 per cent of total pulse production. Soybean being a potentially high
yielding crop can play a greater role in boosting oil seed production in the country. This legume is
making straight way in Indian agriculture to meet protein and oil requirement. It is outstanding in its
nutritive value with enhanced protein and oil content and is also rich in vitamins, minerals, salts and
other essential amino acids. In addition to this, soybean protein has five per cent lysine, which is
deficit in most of the cereals and enriching the cereal flour with soybean improves the nutritive quality.
It also enriches the soil through symbiotic N-fixation and leaves about 30 – 40 kg N per hectare for
succeeding crops (Apeji, 1988).
The major soybean producing states are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and districts of Dharwad, Belgaum, Bangalore,
Shimoga and Mandya are important with respect to soybean production.
Presently, the chemical fertilizers are the major source of nutrients but escalating cost,
coupled with increasing demand of chemical fertilizers and depleting soil health necessitates the safe
and efficient use of biofertilizers in crop production.
Among various nutrients, phosphorus plays an important role because soybean being a
legume has a unique character of fixing atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and maintaining soil fertility.
In most soils, phosphorus availability is low.
Phosphorous (P) plays a key role in plant growth and is the major plant growth-limiting
nutrient despite its abundance in soils in both inorganic and organic forms. It is involved in the transfer
and storage of energy which is used for growth and reproduction. Phosphorus is important in several
physiological processes of plants, especially in photosynthesis, metabolism, membrane formation,
root elongation and its deficiency affects root architecture, seed development and normal crop
maturity. It has been a common practice to supply phosphorus to crops in the form of water soluble
phosphatic fertilizers such as superphosphate and diammonium phosphate. Though the consumption
of chemical fertilizers in India increased steadily over the years, the use efficiency of nutrients applied
as fertilizers continues to remain very low (40-50% for N, 10-20% for P and 2-5% for Zn, Fe & Cu)
leading to nutrient losses from the soils.
Although the total amount of P is high in some soils, available P is often limited because soil
P not only forms insoluble precipitates with metals such as iron and aluminium in acid soils, and
calcium in alkaline soils (Sharpley et al., 1984; Sanyal and Datta, 1991), but also 50 percent to 80
percent of the soil P can exist as organic P which is not directly available to plants (Alexander, 1977;
Iyamuremye et al., 1996). Under these conditions, it is advantageous to apply water insoluble or
partially soluble phosphate which is not converted to unavailable forms as rapidly as water soluble
forms. This leads to the lower efficiency of phosphatic fertilizer use. Foliar application of N during
anthesis, either to the soil or to the foliage, increased fruit set, weight of pod, oil yield and protein in
soybean seeds (Ashour and Thalooth, 1983).
Involvement of microorganisms in increasing P acquisition and utilization need to be studied
(Bolan, 1991). A group of soil microbes, including bacteria and fungi, have been labelled as
phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs).
Solubilization of insoluble P by microorganisms was evidentially reported by Pikovskaya,
(1948). Microorganisms are ubiquitous, their role in nutrient recycling in soils is of major importance. A
group of microorganisms have the capacity to release the soluble form of phosphorus viz., HPO -2 and
4
H PO -1, from the insoluble inorganic P sources and make it available to plants. This bioconversion of
2 4
insoluble inorganic phosphates into soluble available form has been referred to as mineral phosphate
solubilization (MPS) (Goldstein, 1986). Microorganisms have adopted a diverse mechanism for
solubilization of insoluble inorganic phosphate compounds, but organic acid production appears to be
the main cause. Hence, to convert the insoluble phosphorus pool to available form, the development
of efficient phosphate solubilizing microorganisms is important. Reports of increased seed yield and P
uptake due to the use of phosphate solubilising bacteria with rock phosphate indicating the possibility
of an alternate source to the costly water soluble phosphate.
Keeping these aspects in mind, the present investigation was planned with the following
objectives.
1. To study the effect of P-solubilisers and foliar application of organic acids on growth and yield
of soybean.
2. To study the effect of P-solubilisers and foliar application of organic acids on nutrient use
efficiency.
3. To study the economics of P-solubilisers and organic acids on soybean production.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Phosphorus (P) is one of the most important elements for plant growth and metabolism. It
plays key role in many plant processes such as energy metabolism, the synthesis of nucleic acids
and membranes, photosynthesis, respiration, nitrogen fixation and enzyme regulation (Raghothama,
2000).Adequate phosphorus nutrition enhances many aspects of plant development including
flowering, fruiting and root growth.
In many soil types, P is the most limiting nutrient for the production of crops (Jiang et al.,
2006). Maintaining a proper P supplying level at the root zone can maximise the efficiency of plant
roots to mobilize and acquire P from the rhizosphere by an integration of root morphological and
physiological adoptive strategies. Soil type, pH range, fertilizer (rate and type), cropping system etc.,
influence the fate of P in soil and plant. Furthermore, P uptake and utilization by plants plays a vital
role in the determination of final crop yield.
The use of phosphate solubilizing bacteria and VAM as biofertilizers and organic acids
(Some of the reports on production of organic acids by various PSMs presented in Table 1) was
suggested as a sustainable solution to improve plant nutrient and production.
2.1 Phosphorus in soil
Soil P exists in inorganic and organic forms. Each form has many P compounds, existing in
equilibrium with each other and ranging from solution P to very stable or unavailable compounds. In
most soils 50 per cent to 80 per cent of the P is inorganic. In Indian soil, P ranges from 100 ppm to
over 2000 ppm phosphorus (460-9200 kg ha-1 of plough layer). Inorganic P is usually associated with
aluminium (Al), iron (Fe) and calcium (Ca) compounds of varying solubility and availability to plants.
Organic P compounds range from readily available undecomposed plant residues and microbes
within the soil to stable compounds that have become part of soil organic matter. The concentration
of phosphorus in the soil solution is of the order of 0.1 to 1 ppm. As this is removed, the equilibrium is
distributed and P in the labile fraction will be drawn upon. The supply of P to the plant depends
directly on the concentration of Pi in soil solution (Larsen, 1967).
Phosphorus in soil is the most immobile, inaccessible and unavailable of all nutrient
elements. These characteristics cause wide spread deficiency of P for agricultural production
(Holford, 1997). Low phosphorus availability of many tropical and subtropical soils in combination with
insufficient P fertilizer application has been identified as one of the major factors responsible for low
yields on small farms (Kretzschmar et al., 1991). In acidic soils, P occurs in various forms of
Aluminium and Iron phosphates. In neutral and alkaline soils, it is more likely to occur as Calcium and
Magnesium phosphates and adsorbed on surface of Ca and Mg carbonates. The total ‘pool’ of soil P
is extremely complex and no single component of it can be identified as ‘plant available’ P (Holford,
1997).
Phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB)
Phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB) have been used for the crop production since
1903.PSB like B. megaterium, B.polymyxa, P. striata, P. flouresence are important in phosphorus
nutrition by enhancing its availability to plants through release from inorganic and organic soil P pools
by solubilization and mineralization. Principal mechanism in soil for mineral phosphate solubilization
including lowering of soil pH by microbial production of organic acids and mineralization of organic P
by acid Phosphatase. Use of phosphorus solubilizing bacteria as inoculants increases P uptake.
These bacteria also increase prospects of using rock phosphate in crop production. Greater efficiency
of P solubilizing bacteria has been shown through co-inoculation with other beneficial bacteria and
mycorrhiza.
2.2 Effect of Biofertilizer on growth, yield and nutrient uptake of
Soybean
Sharma and Namdeo (1999) revealed that phosphorus application encouraged the uptake of
N, P and K significantly. The combined application of Rhizobium + FYM + PSB gave the highest
uptake of these nutrients. Applied P up to 75 kgha-1 enhanced seed oil significantly as P status
enhanced only at the highest P level.
Dubey (2000a) revealed that the application of single super phosphate at 60 kg P O ha-1
2 5
was superior but it was at par with 30 kg P O ha-1 as single super phosphate along with
2 5