Affiliation(s)
1. Institute of Rural Economy, BP 258, Bamako, Mali
2. University of Bamako, BP 3206, Colline de Badalabougou, Bamako, Mali
3. Department of Soils and Agri-Food Engineering & Horticulture Research Center, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Laval, Québec 2480, Canada
4. Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2053, USA
5. National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2053, USA
ABSTRACT
The disadvantages of the long term application of
Tilemsi natural phosphate
(TNP) on maize (Zea mays L.) production has come out because of its low P availability. Some functional soil
microbes, such as phosphate dissolving bacteria, have great potential in
improvement of P solubility from TNP and P uptake by plants. The present study
aimed to isolate and characterize typical phosphate dissolving bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis) from Malian soils, and investigate
their role in P uptake by maize grown in soils amended with TNP. The
experimental design was a split plot with three main plots of fertilizers
sources, i.e., natural phosphate, commercial fertilizer and without fertilizer,
and with seven sub-plots of six microorganisms plus the control. The field
experiment results have shown that the maize inoculated with the phosphate
dissolving bacteria was improved in seed germination,
plant growth, plant production (increase yield by 42%), grain and aerial dry
biomass (P) content of 34% and 64%, respectively. They have also shown
that the locally available TNP can be used by the Malians farmers in maize culture
and have comparable production to the one obtained with the costly imported
commercial phosphate fertilizer, like the complex
cereal. The project has provided
information for the combined use of the Mali TNP and phosphate dissolving bacteria Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis (T): DSM10 in improvement of maize production in
the country.
KEYWORDS
Maize, phosphate, microorganisms, characterization, growth, production,
bacteria.
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