Study of Beneficial Levels and Effect of Azotobacter spp. and Azospirillium spp.

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Abstract

In order to evaluate the effects of beneficial free living bacteria (Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillum
brasilense) compared to different nitrogen fertilizer levels on yield and yield components of barley (Hordeum
vulgare cv Reyhan) a field experiment was conducted at Research Station College of Agriculture, Ferdowsi
University of Mashhad in 2007-2008. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with
three replications. Fertilizer treatments were biological fertilizer (combine of Azotobacter and Azospirillum) and
six nitrogen fertilizer levels (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 kg/ha). The plant characteristics were studied in terms of
leaf area index, crop growth rate, total dry weight, shoot and root dry matter per plant and seed yield. The results
showed that the effect of different nitrogen fertilizer levels imposed a significant effect on all plant
characteristics. The difference between biological fertilizers, 60 and 80kg nitrogen fertilizer levels in shoot dry
weight were not significant. Additionally, in root dry weight and root/shoot ratio there were significant
difference between biological fertilizer and all nitrogen fertilizer levels. There was no significant difference
between biological fertilizer, 80 and 100 kg nitrogen fertilizer levels in terms of seed yield. There was no
significant difference among biological fertilizer, 40, 60 and 80kg nitrogen fertilizer levels in leaf area index at
three finally samples. It seems that, in this experiment biological fertilizer could be provide plant nitrogen
requirements the same as 40-80kg nitrogen per hectare.

Keywords


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