International Journal of Plant Biology (Dec 2022)

<em>Rhizophagus irregularis</em> and <em>Azotobacter chroococcum</em> Uphold Eggplant Production and Quality under Low Fertilization

  • Meenakshi Sharma,
  • Anil Kumar Delta,
  • Navjot Singh Brar,
  • Alpa Yadav,
  • Parmdeep Singh Dhanda,
  • Marouane Baslam,
  • Prashant Kaushik

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijpb13040048
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 4
pp. 601 – 612

Abstract

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Microorganisms are essential parts of soil and play an important role in mediating many processes and influencing plant health. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB), the most common of such microorganisms, can benefit plants by enhancing the nutrient-absorbing ability of roots through bio-inoculation, also called biofertilization. Different methods have been tested and proven to be effective in the enhancement of soil nutrient availability. However, the effects of increased application of biological methods with minimal chemical fertilizers are still inconsistent. In this 2-year of fixed-point greenhouse test, we aimed to evaluate the impact of AMF (Rhizophagus irregularis) and/or NFB (Azotobacter) on growth, quality, and yield of eggplants under different N levels. Data showed that biofertilizer application with reduced chemical fertilizer had the highest impact on eggplant performance and yield. Indeed, low chemical fertilizers combined with adequate amounts of biofertilizers produced a higher plant height, length and width of leaves, dry matter, number of fruits per plant with better morphology, total yield per plant, and total soluble solids (TSS), suggesting that the use of Azotobacter and R. irregularis as biofertilizers could substantially reduce the use of chemical fertilizers without impairing the quality and yield of eggplant.

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