GROWTH PROMOTION OF APPLE SEEDLINGS BY PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIUM (BACILLUS MEGATERIUM)

Treatment of apple seeds with charcoal based inoculant of Bacillus megaterium a plant growth promoting rhizobacterium originally isolated from roots of apple seedlings significantly increased the various growth attributes of six months old apple seedlings under unsterilized soil conditions.
The effect of seed treatment was more pronounced when jaggery was used as adhesive and seed treatment was given after stratification.
The per cent increase in shoot length, shoot dry weight, root length and root dry weight ranged between 32.04 to 62.12 per cent over the untreated control.
Rhizosphere soil bacterial population and rhizobacterial population of apple seedlings were positively and significantly correlated with the above mentioned parameters.
Similarly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content of whole shoot system was found more in bacterial treated seedlings and ranged between 1.15-2.72, 0.13-0.36 and 1.21-1.92, respectively.

VII International Symposium on Temperate Zone Fruits in the Tropics and Subtropics – Part Two

C.K. Shirkot, N. Sharma

apple, Bacillus megaterium, PGPR, biomass

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.696.26