Effect of Liquid Biofertilizer Seed Treatments on Growth and Development of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Aparna Jyoti
Department of Seed Science and Technology, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology (CSAU&T), Kanpur, India.
C.L. Maurya *
Department of Seed Science and Technology, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology (CSAU&T), Kanpur, India.
Vijay Kumar Yadav
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology (CSAU&T), Kanpur, India.
Shahil Kumar
Department of Seed Science and Technology, RPCAU, Pusa, Samastipur, India.
Avanji Saini
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology (CSAU&T), Kanpur, India.
Narang Kapoor
Department of Seed Science and Technology, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology (CSAU&T), Kanpur, India.
Satyam Gupta
Department of Agricultural Entomology, Shridhar University, Pilani, Rajasthan, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study evaluates the impact of various liquid biofertilizer seed treatments, including single and combined applications of Azospirillum, KSB (Potassium Solubilizing Bacteria), PSB (Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria), Pseudomonas, and Thiram on wheat growth parameters and phenological stages. Field emergence, plant establishment, chlorophyll content, leaf area index (LAI), spike emergence, heading, plant height, and crop maturity days were assessed. Results reveal significant improvements in emergence, growth, and accelerated phenology with biofertilizer treatments, especially combinations of Azospirillum with KSB and PSB, compared to the control and Thiram-treated seeds. Combined biofertilizer application yielded the highest emergence (93.33%), leaf area (5.16), and shortest crop maturity duration (118.83 days). These findings indicate that strategic biofertilizer co-inoculations promote early establishment, robust growth, and enable faster crop maturity in wheat.
Keywords: Co-inoculations, phonological stage, emergence, growth