Aug 2026· Plants· Vol 15, pp. 2475· 0 citations· 45 references
Medicine
Abstract
The continuous growth of the global population and the need to ensure food security require the development of sustainable agricultural technologies capable of maintaining crop productivity while reducing environmental impact. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria belonging to the genera Azotobacter and Azospirillum have attracted increasing interest due to their ability to improve plant nutrition and stimulate physiological processes associated with growth and productivity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the commercial biostimulant Azotofertil, based on Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillum lipoferum, on the agrophysiological response of tomato and pepper plants, in comparison with conventional nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization. A field experiment was conducted using a randomized block design with three fertilization treatments and three biological replicates for each crop species. Soil pH, cultivable Azotobacter spp. populations, plant height, photosynthetic pigment content, vitamin C content, and total yield were evaluated. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Duncan’s multiple range test (p < 0.05) and Pearson correlation analysis. The application of Azotofertil significantly increased the abundance of cultivable Azotobacter spp., photosynthetic pigment content, and vitamin C content, while no statistically significant differences were observed for soil pH or plant height. The most pronounced effect was observed for photosynthetic pigment content, which increased by 26% in tomato and by 21% in pepper compared to the control.
Background: The global trend at present is to utilise organic fertilisers of various types and sources to minimise the adverse effects of chemical fertilisers as much as possible. Bio-fertilization is a biotechnology-based fertilization method that helps plants to receive even more nutrients, the method is important in enhancing the efficiency of photosynthesis by fixing nitrogen in the atmosphere and producing growth-stimulating compounds. Methods: The experiment was conducted in the lath house of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad-Iraq, during the 2024-2025 growing season. The soil of Canna indica L. plants were inoculated with three levels of Azospirillum bacteria (0, 50 and 100 g pot-1) and three levels of Date Palm residues (0, 4 and 8 g pot-1) to determine their effects on vegetative and floral growth. Result: The addition of Azospirillum bacteria at 100 g pot-1 resulted in a significant increase in most vegetative and floral growth characteristics and in the number of rhizomes. This treatment increased plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, main stem diameter, number of shoots, fresh weight, number of flowers, flower diameter, flowering period and number of rhizomes. The application of date palm residues at 8 g pot-1 also significantly increased most vegetative and floral growth traits and the number of rhizomes, including plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, stem diameter, number of shoots, fresh weight, number of flowers, flower diameter, flower stalk length, flowering period and number of rhizomes.
E. Yasin, M. Al-Bayati, K. A. AL-Fatlawi· Indian Journal of Agricultur...· 0 citations
Although plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) like Azospirillum brasilense enhance maize production, traditional seed or furrow inoculations face operational constraints, and the agronomic field efficiency of foliar alternatives remains inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic efficiency and practicality of foliar application of the commercial inoculant Biomax® Azum (Azospirillum brasilense – 3 × 10⁸ CFU mL-1) as a plant growth promoter in maize (Zea mays). Field experiments were conducted during two cropping seasons in three different Brazilian regions (Santa Maria–RS, Querência–MT, and Uberlândia–MG). Treatments included seed, in-furrow, and foliar inoculations (200 and 300 mL ha⁻¹), as well as a non-inoculated control. Variables evaluated included shoot dry matter, nitrogen content in shoots and grains, yield components, and final grain yield. Results showed that foliar inoculation, particularly at 200 mL ha⁻¹, significantly increased biomass and grain yield under specific conditions, being comparable or superior to other application methods. It was concluded that foliar inoculation with Biomax® Azum is an agronomically effective and feasible strategy for maize cultivation, especially under favorable edaphoclimatic conditions.
Dayane Aparecida de Oliveira Araújo, Paula de Freitas Silva, Jessica Brasau da Silva et al.· International Journal of Pla...· 0 citations
A field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2022 and 2023 at Dr. BRC Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Mandor, Rajasthan, to evaluate the effect of biofertilisers and growth-promoting microorganisms on growth, yield, and profitability of mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek, var. GM-4) under the mungbean–wheat cropping system. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design with ten treatments and three replications. Treatments consisted of different combinations of the recommended dose of fertilisers and seed inoculation, soil application, or combined seed and soil application of Rhizobium and phosphate-solubilising bacteria (PSB). The results indicated that growth parameters, yield attributes, grain yield, biological yield, and economic returns were significantly influenced by the treatments. The greatest numerical plant heights at 30 DAS (46.8 cm) and 45 DAS (55.9 cm) were recorded under T₁₀, while T₅ recorded comparable values of 45.8 and 55.3 cm, respectively. The highest numbers of pods per plant (39.6) and seeds per pod (13.5), dry matter production (3.50 t ha⁻¹), and test weight (48.1 g) were observed under T₅, whereas the highest numerical chlorophyll content (4.00 mg g⁻¹) was recorded under T₁₀. The highest grain yield (pooled: 1458 kg ha⁻¹) and net return (₹98,855 ha⁻¹) were recorded with 100% RDF (T₅), whereas 75% RDF combined with seed and soil application of Rhizobium + PSB (T₁₀) produced a pooled grain yield of 1400 kg ha⁻¹ and a B:C ratio of 4.41, remaining statistically at par with T₅. Thus, integrated use of biofertilisers with 75% RDF can reduce fertiliser requirement without significant yield loss and improve profitability.
A. Verma, M. Mehriya, Ashish Vishnawat· International Journal of Pla...· 0 citations
The increasing need for sustainable agricultural practices has intensified interest in seaweed-based biostimulants and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical fertilisers. This study examined the individual and combined effects of Sargassum wightii extract and PGPR strains (Azospirillum lipoferum TSA-6 and Bacillus megaterium TSB-3) on the growth and yield of tomato (PKM-1) under pot culture conditions. Seaweed extracts obtained through hot-water and solvent extraction were screened for phytochemicals and endogenous growth hormones (IAA, GA₃ and cytokinin). Among the six species analysed, S. wightii exhibited the highest levels of auxin (3.7 mg L-1) and cytokinin (4.9 mg L-1). Preliminary screening using crude extract showed that a 2.5 % concentration significantly enhanced germination, seedling vigour, root and shoot length and leaf area index. In the pot experiment, the integrated treatment comprising 75 % recommended dose of fertilisers (RDF) + 2.5 % S. wightii extract + A. lipoferum + B. megaterium (T8) recorded superior growth and yield attributes, including increased dry matter production, fruit number, fruit weight and total fruit yield, comparable to 100 % RDF. The results demonstrate that the combined application of S. wightii extract and PGPR can effectively enhance tomato productivity while reducing fertiliser usage by 25 %. This integrated biostimulant strategy offers a sustainable approach to improving crop performance and reducing chemical fertiliser dependence.
K. Oviya, J. Jaipriyanka, S. Mahalakshmi et al.· Plant Science Today· 0 citations
Climate change and increasing demand for local protein resources offer a significant reason to introduce soybean (Glycine max (L.)) in Lithuania, which is beyond soybean’s typical distribution area in Europe. This study was carried out to examine the effect of microbial biostimulant inoculation in combination with chemical micronutrients on soybean under the edaphic condition of Lithuania. A three-year field trial (2023–2025) tested five treatments, including uninoculated control, Arthrobacter pascens (AP), Bradyrhizobium japonicum (BJ), BJ + AP, and BJ + AP combined with micronutrients (BJ + AP + MN) on soybean biomass, nodulation, growth, quality, yield, and yield components. BJ alone promoted most of the crop traits because the northern soil lacks biological nitrogen fixation rhizobia. It established nodulation, increased SPAD value, shoot biomass (81%), plant height (19.16%), root biomass (40.1%), protein (6.9%), pods per plant, and grain yield (33.2%) over the uninoculated control. Moreover, AP also elevated biomass and yield components significantly without nodule formation. The effects of combined biostimulant treatments in many cases were not significantly different from the single treatment of BJ. All the treatments exhibited stable performance in growing seasons, although with year-to-year climatic variation. The year 2025 gave the highest biomass and yield because of the good precipitation and temperature over that year. The most positive response of soybean grain yield was observed with inoculation of BJ + AP, which increased grain yield by 35.65% over the untreated control. This study highlights the potential of the novel epiphyte Arthrobacter pascens 13LEP5 as a highly efficient, nodule-independent biofertilizer that can match or exceed the performance of traditional inoculants in soybean production. This study suggests identifying rhizobial inoculation as a strong climate-smart strategy for the launch of a productive, low-input, organic soybean system as an expansion poleward cultivation under the edaphic condition of Lithuania.
Y. Jamil, Sulaiman Khan, Raminta Skipitytė et al.· Agriculture· 0 citations
Background: Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the world's most important cereal crops, and improving its productivity while reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers has become a major goal of sustainable agriculture. The potential role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a biofertilizer evolved as appropriate substitute to neutralize adverse environmental impacts wielded by manmade agrochemical.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis, individually and in combination, on the growth and yield of maize compared with conventional NPK fertilization.
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during the 2025 growing season at the Field Crops Research Station, College of Agriculture, University of Samarra, using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Six treatments were evaluated: Untreated control (T1), Pseudomonas fluorescens (T2), Bacillus subtilis (T3), combined inoculation (P. fluorescens + B. subtilis) (T4), combined inoculation with NPK fertilizer (T5), and NPK fertilizer (20:20:20) only (T6). Vegetative growth and yield-related traits were recorded and statistically analyzed.
Results: Inoculation of plants with PGPR bacteria resulted in a significant improvement in both vegetative growth and yield compared to the untreated control group. Pseudomonas fluorescens (T2) exhibited the highest vegetative growth rate, recording the highest plant height (148.00 cm), leaf area (365.00 cm²), leaf area index (2.63), and number of grains per spike (688 grains) compared control group recorded (92.33 cm), (10.67 plant⁻¹), (151.73 cm²), (0.70) respectively. Bacillus subtilis (T3), achieved the highest productivity, producing the largest number of spikes per plant (2.67 spikes) and the highest spike weight (283.50 g) compared control group recorded (2.00) and (161.60 g).
Conclusion: The use of PGPR, and especially Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis as potential biofertilisation agents is a promising sustainable alternative to chemical fertilisation that can enhance maize growth and production, while decreasing dependence on mineral fertilisers.
Waser saad Khalaf, Ahmed waleed Abdulrahman· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations