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Development of Nutrient-Rich Media Through Cyanobacterial Amendment and Their Characterization

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Abstract

Exogenous addition of growth stimulants or other chemicals to soil-less medium is a common practice for enhancing biomass and productivity, and a promising amendment option can be cyanobacteria, a ubiquitous group of photosynthetic, plant growth promoting and agriculturally beneficial microorganisms, used as biofertilizers in agriculture. The performance of three nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial cultures- Anabaena torulosa (BF1), Anabaena doliolum (BF4) and Anabaena laxa (RPAN8), through amendment to two media - namely rooting mix (cocopeat, vermiculite and perlite in 3:1:1) and sand contained in Pro-Trays was evaluated at fortnightly intervals up to 30 days. An enhancement, up to 2- to 3-fold in chlorophyll (as an index of photosynthetic biomass) and 30–45% IAA was observed in the extracts of cyanobacterium–amended media, over control; rooting mix was more promising as compared to sand. The addition of cyanobacteria also brought a significant enhancement of 30–40% in the availability of nitrogen and micronutrients–Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe in both media. Phytotoxicity studies with seeds of mustard, radish, maize and wheat, revealed no inhibition, highlighting the promise of these fortified rooting mixes as organic inputs in nursery propagation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Post Graduate School and Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) - Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India for the Ph.D. program fellowship to the first author. The authors thank the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for funds through the Network Project on Microorganisms “Application of Microorganisms in Agricultural and Allied Sectors” (AMAAS) New Delhi. Grateful acknowledgements are due to the Division of Microbiology and National Phytotron Facility, ICAR-IARI, for the facilities. We also thank Shri Gulab Singh, Division of Microbiology, for his assistance in nutrient analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Microbiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Asha Bharti, Radha Prasanna & Lata Nain

  2. ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, 440010, Maharashtra, India

    Kulandaivelu Velmourougane

  3. National Phytotron Facility, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India

    Arun Kumar

  4. Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Yashbir Singh Shivay

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  1. Asha Bharti
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  2. Radha Prasanna
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Contributions

AS performed the experiments and analysed the study data. RP hypothesised, designed and coordinated the research, while making resources available to AS including lab facilities - instrumentation and chemicals. RP and AS interpreted the data and wrote the final manuscript. KV guided in the data analysis and helped in manuscript preparation. AK facilitated the smooth conduct of the experiments under controlled environmental conditions. YSS helped in the macro/micronutrient analyses. LN provided instrumentation facility for research and provided critical inputs during manuscript preparation.

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Correspondence to Radha Prasanna.

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12649_2019_829_MOESM1_ESM.pptx

Supplementary material 1 (PPTX 872 kb). Supplementary Fig. 1 Set up of rooting mix/sand experiment with cyanobacteria as amendment using Pro-Trays under glasshouse conditions

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Bharti, A., Prasanna, R., Velmourougane, K. et al. Development of Nutrient-Rich Media Through Cyanobacterial Amendment and Their Characterization. Waste Biomass Valor 11, 6003–6016 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-019-00829-0

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