Effect of Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria in Combination with Poultry Manure on Soil Health and Sugarbeet Productivity under Arid Climate

Abstract

Sustainable agricultural productivity is under threat due to lack of interest in the use of bio-organic fertilizers to alleviate drawbacks of conventional agricultural practices. Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria plays vital role in improving phosphorus availability to plants through slowly release from inorganic and organic soil phosphorus budgets by solubilization and mineralization. Furthermore, phosphorus solubilizing bacteria in combination with poultry manure has great potential to improve phosphorus uptake, growth and development of the plants.  Firstly, a pot experiment consisted of seven strains of phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) with one control (un-inoculated) were used using completely randomized design (CRD) for 55 days screening trial to screen out the efficient phosphorus solubilizing bacterial strains. Secondly, a field experiment was performed in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) at Research Farm of College of Agriculture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Bahadur Sub Campus Layyah, South Punjab-Pakistan during 2019-2020 to explore the effect of screened efficient phosphorus solubilizing bacterial strains; PSB0=No inoculation; PSB2=Bacillus spp. PSB2, PSB3=Bacillus spp. PSB3, PSB5=Bacillus spp. PSB5, PSB6=Bacillus spp. PSB6 in combination with poultry manure; PM0= without poultry manure and PM1= with poultry manure (20 t ha-1) on growth and yield traits of sugarbeet, and rhizosphere soil health indicators.  Results regarding pot experiment showed that phosphorus solubilizing bacterial strains PSB2, PSB3, PSB5 and PSB6 had great potential to improve growth traits of sugarbeet crop and screened as efficient phosphorus solubilizing bacterial strains. Results of field experiment revealed that the combined application of efficient phosphorus solubilizing bacterial strains (PSB2 and PSB5) with poultry manure (20 t ha-1) produced the highest growth, and yield traits of sugarbeet crop, and rhizosphere soil health indicators.Our findings suggest that the combined application of efficient phosphorus solubilizing bacterial strains (PSB2 and PSB5) with poultry manure (20 t ha-1) is a promising and viable option to achieve the maximum sugarbeet productivity under changing environmental scenarios.