APPLICATION OF A PGPR BACTERIAL CONSORTIUM TO IMPROVE SOYBEAN CROP YIELD

ADLER C; DE CRISTOBAL RE; POMARES MF; ZENOFF AM; CARAM DI SANTO C; BULACIO GIL N; FARIZANO JV; RUBIO MOLINA AC; ESPINOSA URGEL; VINCENT PA

Congreso; SAIB - SAMIGE Joint meeting 2021 on line; 2021

SAIB - SAMIGE

Plant-associated microbiota can enormously influence on plant traits. Manipulation of these microbial communities holds greatpotential as an effective way to improve crops, while contributing to a more environmentally benign agriculture. The goal ofthis study was to evaluate the efficiency of a soybean inoculant under field conditions. The inoculant was composed of by twobacterial strains previously characterized in our laboratory as PGPR (Pseudomonas sp. and Bacillus sp.) and a commercialstrain of Bradyrhizobium japonicum. Under controlled conditions, inoculation with the consortium favored seed germinationand showed increased growth parameters compared with the control. In addition, the study of phenological stages alsoconfirmed the beneficial effect of the bacterial combination. Next, a field evaluation was carried out in an agronomicallyproductive area of the East of Tucuman having salinity problems. Seeds were inoculated following standard practices. Cropprogression until plants reached their physiological maturity was followed by registering the number of plants per linear meter,growth parameters and phenological stages. Manual and mechanic harvest evaluations were carried out to estimate yield.Results demonstrated that seeds inoculated with the consortium had higher number of plants per meter, enhanced growth andmore advanced phenological stage compared with seeds inoculated with the commercial inoculum. Finally, crop yield wasincreased for the area seeded with the consortium.