African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 6(3), pp.

681-685, 4 February, 2011

Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR
DOI: 10.5897/AJAR10.870
ISSN 1991-637X ©2011 Academic Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A study on the effects of different biofertilizer

combinations on yield, its components and growth
indices of corn (Zea mays L.) under drought stress
condition
Mehdi Zarabi*, Iraj Alahdadi, Gholam Abbas Akbari, and Gholam Ali Akbari
Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding- College of Abouraihan - University of Tehran, Iran.
Accepted 9 November, 2010

In order to study the combined effects of chemical phosphorus fertilizer, Phosphate-solubilising

bacteria and mycorrhizal fungus they were determined on reducing drought stress damages of grain
corn (SC704) under field conditions at College of Abouraihan, University of Tehran. The experiment was
conducted as split plot RCBD with three replications. Experimental factors were drought stress as the
main-plot (irrigation after 50 mm [without drought stress], 100 mm [low drought stress] and 150 mm
[severe drought stress] evaporation from pan class (A), and fertilizer compounds as the sub-plot.
Result of variance analysis showed that drought stress had significantly affected on most measured
traits. All the measured traits in compounds phosphate-solubilising bacteria and Mycorrhiza fungies
treatment were higher than other treatments under drought stress conditions except root colonization.
Furthermore, grain yield in super phosphate triple treat under severe drought stress condition (3.55
ton/ha) was significantly less than normal irrigation (12.08 ton/ha) and low stress conditions (9.97
ton/ha). According to this experiment result, under drought stress condition, all calculated growth
indices (such as LAI, CGR and NAR) decreased. Accordingly this experiment showed that phosphate-
solubilising microorganisms can positively have effect on the increase of plant growth and phosphorus
absorption in maize plant, leading to plant tolerance improving under drought stress conditions.

Key words: Mycorrhiza fungies, phosphate-solubilising bacteria, super phosphate triple, ear length.

INTRODUCTION

Intensive agriculture entails the risk of excessive soils throughout the world are deficient in phosphorus.
fertilization. Microorganisms are important in agriculture Phosphorus can be tightly bound with calcium, iron, or
in order to promote the circulation of plant nutrients and aluminium, leading to precipitation of phosphorus (Li et
reduce the need for chemical fertilizers as much as al., 2003). Use of phosphorus fertilizers has become an
possible. Organic agriculture is one of the ways that can expensive practice. The use of cheap, alternative sources
produce high quality crops (Higa, 1994). Phosphorus (P) of phosphorus, such as rock phosphate (RP) and
is an essential macronutrient for plant growth. Despite microorganisms. Therefore, has received considerable
phosphorus being widely and abundantly distributed in attention in recent years (Rajan et al., 1996) Many
the soil in both its inorganic and organic forms, many bacteria (Rodriguez and Fraga, 1999) and fungi
(Whitelaw, 2000) are able to improve plant growth by
solubilising sparingly soluble inorganic and organic
phosphates in the soil.
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: Sanders and Tinker (1971) and Hayman and Mosse
00989138583151, 9791714684. (1972) indicated mycorrhizal plants take up phosphorus
682 Afr. J. Agric. Res.

Table 1. Soil properties of experimental field.

PH Ec ds.m-1 Clay % Silt % Sand % Total N P (mg/kg) K (mg/kg) soil texture

8 2.62 28 37 35 0.071 13 224 C.L

from the same source of readily soluble phosphorus as 50% super phosphate triple, (b4) Mycorrhiza fungi with 50% super
nonmycorrhizal plants. Production and release of organic phosphate triple and (b5) phosphate chemical fertilizer (100% super
phosphate triple) were used.
acids is an important mechanism involved in inorganic Phosphate solubilising microorganisms used in this experiment
phosphorus solubilisation (Richardson, 2001). Moreover, were included Mycorrhiza fungi (Glomus mosseae) (with 65-70%
the use of bio stimulators in condition of environmental colonization rate). Also biofertilizer phosphate-solubilising bacteria
stress can decrease effects of stress and enhance soil (biophosphor ®) was included Bacillus and Pseudomonas with
water holding capacity, root growth and yield (Li and Ni, CFU=107.
1996). Drought is one of the most important abiotic stress Plants were grown in five-row plots with 5 m length and 0.75 cm
spacing between rows. The plant density was 66000 plant/ha.
factor (Bruce et al., 2002), which affects almost every Fertilizer was used based on soil test. Irrigation was performed on
aspects of plant growth (Aslam et al., 2006). Drought, or class A evaporation pan for each treatment. Data was recorded on
more generally, limited water availability is the main 10 competitive plants of each plot and grain yield (kg ha-1) was
factor limiting crop production (Seghatoleslami et al., calculated for the entire plot. Each plot was harvested at maturity
2008). Drought is a permanent constraint to agricultural for yield and yield components and leaf area index and dry matter
production in many developing countries, and an were measured each 15 days to calculate Crop Growth Rate
(CGR), Net Assimilation Rate (NAR) and Leaf Area Index (LAI)
occasional cause of losses of agricultural production in according to below equations:
developed ones (Ceccarelli and Grando, 1996). No exact
figures on yield and economic losses in maize due to (1) LAI= LA/ SA
drought are available. In maize, grain yield reduction (2) CGR= (W2-W1) / SA(t2-t1) g.m-2.day-1
caused by drought ranges from 10 to 76% depending on (3) NAR= (W2-W1) / (t2-t1) * (lnLA2-lnLA1) / (LA2-LA1) mg.mm-2.day-1
the severity and stage of occurrence (Bolaoos et al., In above abbreviations: LA = Leaf Area, SA = Ground area that
1993). Sivasubramaniawn (1992) related the drought occupied a plant. W = Dry matter, t = Day after planting.
resistance of plants to the chlorophyll stability index that
has been employed to determine the thermo stability of Data was subjected to Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) and the
chlorophyll. Obviously, combined application of organic treatment means was compared using Duncan’s multiple range test
fertilizer and urea fertilizer or combination urea fertilizer (alpha = 5%). The analysis was done by MSTATC and SAS (Ver.
and polyamines significantly increased yield, vegetative 9.1) software. Microsoft office Excel was used for figures drawing
and indices calculation.
growth and chlorophyll index (Oad et al., 2004; Zeid,
2008). This experiment was conducted to investigate the
effects of applications of biological fertilizer and chemical RESULTS
fertilizer on yield and component, yield, leaf area index,
Crop Growth Rate (CGR), Net Assimilation Rate (NAR) of Analysis of variance showed that there are significant
corn under drought stress. differences among most traits (Table 2). A significant
effect of stress levels treatments on grain yield of maize.
The highest grain yield of 12.08 ton/ ha was obtained for
MATERIALS AND METHODS
the normal irrigation treatment and lowest (3.55 ton/ha)
Combined effects of phosphorus fertilizer, phosphate-solubilising
for the severe Drought stress treatment (Table 3). The
bacteria and mycorrhizal fungus were determined on reducing results showed that stress treatment significantly reduced
drought stress damages of grain corn (KSC704 commercial hybrid) (P 0.05) grain yield, percent colonization and harvest
under field conditions in experimental farm College of Abouraihan, index. There were no significant differences in stress
University of Tehran (35°28’N, 42.51°17’E, altitude 1024 m). The levels for row number in ear but there was a significant
experiment was planted in 2009 as a randomized complete block difference in fertilizer compounds. The other researcher
design with split-plot arrangement and three replications. The soil
texture was clay loam and the result of soil analysis presented in
showed that drought stress declined seed yield and its
Table 1. components (Reca et al., 2001; Seghatoleslami et al.,
Treatment consisted of three levels of drought stress: without 2008).
stress (irrigation after 50 mm evaporation from pan class A), low All the assessed traits in b2 compound inoculate
drought stress (irrigation after 100 mm evaporation from pan class treatment were of higher values than other treats under
A) and severe drought stress (irrigation after 150 mm evaporation drought stress condition. Furthermore, the investigated
from pan class A). In sub-plots five compound fertilizer such as:
(b1) phosphate-solubilising bacteria with Mycorrhiza fungies, (b2) traits of b5 treat under severe drought stress were
phosphate-solubilising bacteria and Mycorrhiza fungi with 50% significantly less pronounced than normal irrigation and
super phosphate triple, (b3) phosphate-solubilising bacteria with low stressed conditions. This finding was in agreement
 Zarabi et al. 683

Table 2. Analysis of variance of measured traits of corn under different fertilizer treatments and drought stress conditions.

Row No./ Kernel 300 Kernel Total Percent Harvest

S.O.V df Ear length
Ear No./Row weight Yield colonization index
Replication 2 6.22ns 214.60ns 247.83ns 27.75ns 10.0** 14.04* 61.79*
Stress 2 18.52ns 2473.51** 2679.04* 193.86* 296.42** 638.77** 2329.07**
Main error 4 4.25 79.45 157.70 15.02 3.27 1.02 21.81
Fertilizer 4 8.18** 158.2** 164.58** 14.11** 20.49** 2842.30** 199.00**
Stress*Fertilizer 8 0.55ns 15.76ns 67.12ns 1.52ns 1.00ns 44.69** 10.39ns
Sub error 24 1.23 23.20 31.11 1.99 0.82 3.60 16.51
Mean 13.72 40.17 66.93 18.47 8.53 40.42 42.00
*, **, ns : significant at 5%, 1% level and not significant, respectively.

Table 3. Means comparison of measured traits of corn under different fertilizer treatments and drought stress conditions using Duncan’s
multiple range test.

Row No./ Kernel 300 Kernel Ear Length Total Yield Percent Harvest
Ear No./ Row Weight (gr) (cm) (ton/ha) colonization (%) index (%)
Irrigation
Normal irrigation 14.456a 49.22a 78.004a 21.222a 12.087a 45.47a 52.42a
Low drought stress 14.26a 45.82a 70.712a 19.807a 9.9712b 43.03b 45.37b
Severe drought stress 12.444a 25.479b 52.089b 14.41b 3.5507c 32.75c 28.20c

Fertilizer
b1 14.445a 42.95ab 69.858ab 18.9263ab 9.3667b 57.93a 45.68a
b2 14.6303a 45.25a 72.44a 20.2215a 10.352a 23.39b 46.72a
b3 13.746a 39.39b 65.239bc 18.121bc 7.815c 27.07d 38.08b
b4 13.574a 39.013b 65.644bc 18.3509b 8.7463b 47.07c 43.44a
b5 12.21b 34.27c 61.487c 16.7778c 6.4014d 16.63e 36.07b
Means with same phrases in each columns not significant at 5% probability.

with the results of Ehteshami et al. (2009). treatment alone in different levels of irrigation observed
A combination of Mycorrhiza fungi and phosphate- that LAI in this treatment was decreased (Figure 2). This
solubilising bacteria had effects on these traits although, result showed that biological fertilizer to obtain relative
there were no significant differences among b2 and b5 for resistance opposes the drought stress in corn. The
traits except for grain yield and percent colonization. Our lowest LAI at flowering stage was in b5 (2.85) and
results concur partly with observations made by drought stress treatment (2.49).
Ehteshami et al. (2009) who reported that Mycorrhiza The other researcher showed that the highest LAI was
fungies and phosphate-solubilising bacteria increased in 8 days period of irrigation (5.1) and drought stress in
traits. this treatment decreased 11% in LAI (Jafari et al., 2010).
According to this experiment result, under drought Crop growth rate in b2 during the experiment was
stress condition, seed inoculums with b2 treatment increased compared to other treatment (Figure 3).
significantly affected the reduction of plant damages and Probably in this experiment the crop growth rate is
therefore increased the total yield. Results of this related to leaf area index, for the reason that crop growth
experiment showed that phosphate-solubilising micro- changing rate is depended on two parameters: Namely
organisms can positively interact with promoting plant leaf area index and net assimilation rate. This finding was
growth as well as with phosphorus uptake in maize plant, in agreement with the results of Brogeham (2000). At
leading to plant tolerance improved under drought stress flowering stage (75-90 day after planting), Severe
conditions. drought stress condition had decreased CGR index
Leaf area index with the use of b1 was 3.8, in addition compared to other irrigation treatments (Figure 4). Net
to normal irrigation maximum LAI was obtained among assimilation rate with the use of b2 was increased
other levels (Figure 1). Application chemical fertilizer compared to other treatments (Figure 5). Other fertilizer
 684 Afr. J. Agric. Res.

Figure 1. Leaf area index in five fertilizer treatment in during

period of growth. Figure 3. Crop growth rate in five fertilizer treatment in during
period of growth.

50 mm

100 mm
50 mm
150 mm
100 mm

150 mm

Figure 2. leaf area index in different levels irrigation in during

period of growth. Day after planting

Figure 4. Crop growth rate in different levels irrigation in during

period of growth.
compounds were not different from each other (Figure 5).
The normal irrigation and low drought stress had
overlapped on each other (Figure 6).
In biological fertilizer compounds the highest NAR was decreases of yield and its component and measured
-2 -1
0.055 (mg.mm .day ). Result of this experiment showed indices such as LAI, CGR and NAR. Drought stress is a
that chemical fertilizer used under drought stress major abiotic constraint responsible for heavy production
condition can decrease NAR index more than biological losses (Khan et al., 2007).
fertilizer. Balak (1993) showed that NAR would decrease Application of biological fertilizer (b2) has given the
with the increase of LAI. This trend of decrease will highest grain yield in this study. El-Karmany (2001)
continue from the beginning till the end of growth season. showed that integrated chemical and biological fertilizer
obtained highest kernel number per ear compared to sole
application of them (4). Also our study showed that
Conclusion chemical fertilizer combined with biological fertilizer was
beneficial to the environment because with decreasing
Results of this study showed that, drought stress caused the use of chemical fertilizer and use of organic inputs we
 Zarabi et al. 685

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