Performance of chilli inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhiza and phosphate solubilizing bacteria under reduced fertilizer application

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at FOA Wadura Sopore, Kashmir to evaluate the performance of chilli inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) when the fertilizer application was reduced to ½ and ¼ of the recommended fertilizer dose (RFD). The results of the study revealed that, inoculation of chilli with AM and PSB significantly increased all the parameters examined during the study. However, the best results were obtained when the seedlings were inoculated with AM followed by PSB at ½ of the RFD as evident from 16.6% and 12.6% increase in the total plant dry weight at the respective treatments as compared to control. Similarly the concentration of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in the plants inoculated with AM at ½ of the RFD was increased by 17.3, 20.6 and 23.2% followed by an increase of 2.5, 11.5, and 12.2% at PSB with ½ RFD as compared to control. Yield of chilli was respectively increased by 9.7% and 4.4 % when inoculated with AM and PSB at ½ of RFD as compared to control.