Shimaa K. Ganzour, Tharwat K. Ghabour, Nadia M. Hemeid and Khatab A. Khatab( 2020). Impact of Biofertilizers on Maize (Zea mays L.) Growth and Yield under Calcareous Soil ConditionsEgypt. J. Soil. Sci. Vol. 60, No. 4, pp. 469-482 (2020)
Abstract: THE AGRICULTURAL expansion in Egypt is of great importance to face the shortage in cereal crop production. Biofertilizers recently are used to overcome the deficiency of some nutrients due to their fixation in the soil and consequently increase its fertility especially in calcareous soil. The current work is aiming to assess the use of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and cyanobacteria (Cyan.) for maize production in calcareous soil. A field experiment was conducted to achieve this goal in a split-plot type in three replicates over two years. The obtained results were promising, where all growth parameters; leaf chlorophyll content, plant height, ear length, ear diameter and ear weight, showed a significant increase. Yield parameters; grain weight, weight of 100 grains, grain yield and straw yield were increased by 56, 27, 86 and 26%, respectively compared to control. Effect of the phosphate solubilizing bacteria on yield exceeded that of cyanobacteria but the effect of their combination was the highest. Nutrient uptake by grain and straw was also remarkably increased, where N, P and K uptake by grain showed an increase of about 112, 192 and 198%, respectively of their values of control treatment. Grain components; carbohydrate and protein contents increased by 8.8 and 112%, respectively as compared to control. Carbohydrate content under PSB treatment was higher than its value under Cyan. while protein content showed the opposite. Finally, available N, P and K in soil increased by about 55, 94 and 39%, respectively at the end of the experiment.
Keywords: (Calcareous soil, Maize, Biofertilizers, Phosphate solubilizing bacteria, Cyanobacteria, Wadi Al-Arish)
