ISOLATION OF POTENTIAL RHIZOSPHERIC AZOTOBACTER SP. FROM TRIBAL FIELD OF PATALKOT AREA

Abstract

Tribal community usually follows traditional farming, characterized by application of negligible inputs. At many places they usually practice monoculture and cultivate a crop year after year leading to the erosion of soil fertility. As part of resorting to inclusive development, scientific communities has responsibility to restore fertility of tribal’s farm land for sustainable agriculture especially in view of recent revelation of growing adverse impact of climate change on food grain production. The objective of this study thus was to isolate indigenous isolates of Azotobacter from the rhizosphere of wheat and maize of tribal’s farm land of Patalkot (District Chhindwara, MP). Subsequently, their effect vis-à-vis exotic A. chroococcum 5576 (positive control) and uninoculated plant (negative control) on growth and yield of little millet (Panicum sumatrense) under pot conditions studied. Potential bacterial isolates RGW4, HRM3 and HGW1 showed nitrogen fixation rate (mg) per gram of sugar consumption 19.04, 22.30, and 19.11, phosphate solubilization index 4.21, 3.05 and 2.38 and percentage production of siderophore 40.74, 41.10 and 11.26 respectively. Importantly, inoculation with RGW4, HRM3 and exotic Azo-5576 (positive control) showed enhanced grain yield by 19.77%, 17.79%, and 14.97% respectively and enhanced total biomass yield by 25.74%, 22.77% and 17.82% (Azo-557) respectively as compared to uninoculated plant (negative control).