Evaluating the Impact of Bioinoculants along with Organic Manures on Seed Germination of Fresh and Aged Seeds of Guava (Psidium guajava L.)

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of bioinoculants along with organic amendments on seed germination of fresh and aged seeds of guava (Psidium guajava L.) under open field conditions. The experiment aimed to assess the influence of selected bioinoculants along with organic manures on germination behaviour and subsequent vegetative growth of seedlings. Treatments comprised 15 different combinations of bioinoculants along with organic manures with control as untreated seeds, arranged in RBD design under open field conditions. The study concluded that among all the treatments, T15 (Sand + Vermicompost + PSB + Azotobacter + VAM) consistently performed best across all parameters. Fresh and aged seeds treated with this combination exhibited substantial improvements in germination percentage, vigour index-I, vigour index-II, shoot length, seedling girth and root length, showing increases of 217.52%, 477.50%, 883.78%, 56.29%, 127.06% and 54.87%, respectively, for fresh seeds, and 215.35%, 802.34%, 888.24%, 83.67%, 153.42% and 87.06%, respectively, for aged seeds, compared to the untreated control which recorded the lowest values across all parameters. Results indicated that bioinoculant along with organic amendments application significantly enhanced seedling establishment and growth, likely through improved nutrient uptake and increased rhizospheric activity.