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Integrated Effect of Algal Biochar and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria on Physiology and Growth of Maize Under Deficit Irrigations

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Abstract

Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses to sustainable agriculture and global food security. The present study was conducted to evaluate the integrated effect of algal biochar (BC) and plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on growth and physiology of maize under deficit irrigations. A pot experiment with different combinations of algal BC and PGPR under three deficit irrigations [field capacity (FC), 75% FC and 50% FC] was performed using maize as test crop. There were three controls without application of algal BC and PGPR under each water deficit irrigation. Both algal BC and plant growth–promoting rhizobacterial inoculation mitigated negative effects of deficit irrigations on maize performance, especially when applied in combined form. Under 50% FC, combined application of algal BC and PGPR significantly increased fresh and dry weights of shoot and root and root length by 2.76, 5.94, 3.24, 13.82, and 4.06 times compared to control, respectively. In case of physiological and nutrient uptake parameters, the same treatment caused the maximum increase in comparison to control. Post-harvest soil analysis also showed a positive treatment effect compared to their respective control. The combined application of algal BC and PGPR could be an effective strategy to improve growth and physiology of maize under deficit irrigations.

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Funding

This research work was funded by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan under grant no. 21-576/SRGP/R&D/HEC/2014.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan

    Naseer Ullah & Azeem Khalid

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 18000, Pakistan

    Allah Ditta

  3. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Allah Ditta

  4. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China

    Sajid Mehmood

  5. Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies, The Islamia University, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan

    Muhammad Shahid Rizwan

  6. Department of Soil Science, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ashraf

  7. Soil and Environmental Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Fathia Mubeen & Muhammad Imtiaz

  8. Soil and Water Testing Laboratory Chiniot, Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad, Department of Agriculture, Government of Punjab, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Mazhar Iqbal

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  1. Naseer Ullah
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Ullah, N., Ditta, A., Khalid, A. et al. Integrated Effect of Algal Biochar and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria on Physiology and Growth of Maize Under Deficit Irrigations. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 20, 346–356 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-019-00112-0

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