Author(s)

Yaru Lin¹, Dexter B. Watts^2*, Joseph W. Kloepper³, Anthony O. Adesemoye⁴, Yucheng Feng¹

¹Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
²USDA-ARS, National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, Auburn, AL, USA.
³Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
⁴Department of Plant Pathology, WCREC, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) colonize plant roots and promote plant growth by producing and secreting various chemical regulators in the rhizosphere. With the recent interest in sustainable agriculture, an increasing number of researchers are investigating ways to improve the efficiency of PGPR use to reduce chemical fertilizer inputs needed for crop production. Accordingly, greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of PGPR inoculants on biomass production and nitrogen (N) content of corn (Zea mays L.) under different N levels. Treatments included three PGPR inoculants (two mixtures of PGPR strains and one control without PGPR) and five N application levels (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the recommended N rate of 135 kg N ha⁻¹). Results showed that inoculation of PGPR significantly increased plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, and root morphology of corn compared to no PGPR application under the same N levels at the V6 growth stage, but few differences were observed at the V4 stage. PGPR with 50% of the full N rate produced corn biomass and N concentrations equivalent to or greater than that of the full N rate without inoculants at the VT stage. In conclusion, mixtures of PGPR can potentially reduce inorganic N fertilization without affecting corn plant growth parameters. Future research is needed under field conditions to determine if these PGPR inoculants can be integrated as a bio-fertilizer in crop production nutrient management strategies.

Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria, Corn Growth, Nitrogen Fertilization, Root Morphology, Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Lin, Y. , Watts, D. , Kloepper, J. , Adesemoye, A. and Feng, Y. (2019) Effect of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria at Various Nitrogen Rates on Corn Growth. Agricultural Sciences, 10, 1542-1565. doi: 10.4236/as.2019.1012114.