Published
Bacterial inoculation modulates maize growth and yield components across nitrogen fertilization levels under greenhouse conditions
La inoculación bacteriana modula el crecimiento y los componentes del rendimiento del maíz bajo diferentes niveles de fertilización nitrogenada en condiciones de invernadero
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/rfnam.v79.123023Keywords:
Bacterial inoculation, Nitrogen fertilization, Peribacillus sp., Plant-growth-promoting bacteria, Sporosarcina sp., Zea mays (en)Inoculación bacteriana, Fertilización nitrogenada, Peribacillus sp., Bacterias promotoras del crecimiento vegetal, Sporosarcina sp., Zea mays (es)
Downloads
Plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) may complement mineral fertilization and contribute to sustainable maize production, although their effects depend on nutrient availability and bacterial strain. The effects of Peribacillus sp. B5 (A; GenBank OP861655), Sporosarcina sp. NSM3 (B; OP861656), and their co-inoculation (A+B) on maize growth, foliar nutrient status, biomass, and yield components were evaluated under different nitrogen (N) levels. A greenhouse experiment used a completely randomized 4×4 factorial design with four replicates, combining four inoculation treatments with 0, 50, 75, and 100% of the calculated N requirement. Significant inoculation × N interactions occurred for plant height, leaf area, ear insertion height, ear length and diameter, shoot dry matter, kernels per longitudinal row, rows per ear, and grain weight per ear. Peribacillus sp. without supplemental N produced the highest shoot dry matter (87.41 g per pot), 61.6% greater than the non-inoculated 0% N control. A+75% N produced the highest grain weight per ear (49.05 g per ear), compared with 21.72 g per ear in the non-inoculated 75% N treatment, while B+50% N produced 47.50 versus 11.72 g per ear in the corresponding control. Chlorophyll content and foliar N were unaffected by inoculation, N fertilization, or their interaction, whereas foliar P responded to N fertilization and K to inoculation. Overall, maize responses depended on specific strain × N combinations, identifying A+75% N and B+50% N as promising for field evaluation. These findings support complementary bacterial inoculation under reduced N fertilization but do not demonstrate N fertilizer replacement or increased N-use efficiency.
Las bacterias promotoras del crecimiento vegetal (PGPB) pueden complementar la fertilización mineral y contribuir a una producción de maíz más sostenible, aunque sus efectos dependen de la disponibilidad de nutrientes y de la cepa bacteriana. Se evaluaron los efectos de Peribacillus sp. B5 (A; GenBank OP861655), Sporosarcina sp. NSM3 (B; OP861656) y su coinoculación (A+B) sobre el crecimiento, el estado nutricional foliar, la biomasa y los componentes del rendimiento del maíz bajo diferentes niveles de nitrógeno (N). Se realizó un experimento en invernadero utilizando un diseño completamente al azar con arreglo factorial 4×4 y cuatro repeticiones, combinando cuatro tratamientos de inoculación con 0, 50, 75 y 100% del requerimiento calculado de N. Se observaron interacciones significativas inoculación × N para altura de planta, área foliar, altura de inserción de la mazorca, longitud y diámetro de la mazorca, materia seca de la parte aérea, número de granos por hilera longitudinal, número de hileras por mazorca y peso de grano por mazorca. Peribacillus sp. sin N suplementario produjo la mayor materia seca de la parte aérea (87,41 g por maceta), un 61,6% superior al control no inoculado con 0% de N. A+75% N produjo el mayor peso de grano por mazorca (49,05 g por mazorca), frente a 21,72 g por mazorca en el tratamiento no inoculado con 75% de N, mientras que B+50% N produjo 47,50 frente a 11,72 g por mazorca en el control correspondiente. El contenido de clorofila y la concentración foliar de N no fueron afectados por la inoculación, la fertilización nitrogenada ni su interacción, mientras que el P foliar respondió a la fertilización nitrogenada y el K a la inoculación. En general, las respuestas del maíz dependieron de combinaciones específicas cepa × N, identificándose A+75% N y B+50% N como tratamientos prometedores para su evaluación en campo. Estos resultados respaldan el uso complementario de la inoculación bacteriana bajo fertilización nitrogenada reducida, pero no demuestran el reemplazo del fertilizante nitrogenado ni un aumento en la eficiencia de uso del N.
References
Akhtar N, Syakir Ishak MI, Bhawani SA and Umar K (2021) Various natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for water quality degradation: A review. Water 13(19): 2660. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13192660
Amezquita-Aviles CF, Coronel-Acosta CB, Santos-Villalobos S, Santoyo G and Parra-Cota FI (2022) Characterization of native plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and their effect on the development of maize (Zea mays L.). Biotecnia 24(1): 15-22. https://doi.org/10.18633/biotecnia.v24i1.1353
Anderson JM and Ingram JSI (eds.) (1993) Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility: A Handbook of Methods. 2nd ed. CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 221 p.
Campos-Amasifuén HM (2017) Cálculo de requerimientos nutricionales para el cultivo de Maíz Amarillo Duro en suelos de restinga. Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria (INIA), Perú. https://repositorio.inia.gob.pe/handle/20.500.12955/965
Chen L, Li K, Shang J, Wu Y, Chen T et al (2021) Plant growth-promoting bacteria improve maize growth through reshaping the rhizobacterial community in low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils 57: 1075–1088. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-021-01598-6
Condori T, Alarcón S, Huasasquiche L, García-Blásquez C, Padilla-Castro C et al (2024) Inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense as a Strategy to Reduce Nitrogen Fertilization in Cultivating Purple Maize (Zea mays L.) in the Inter-Andean Valleys of Peru. Microorganisms 12(10): 2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12102107
Damasceno LJ, Amaral VM, Mariano DdC, Maciel RP et al (2024) Economic Analysis of Azospirillum brasilense Inoculation Associated with Enhanced-Efficiency Nitrogen Fertilizers in Corn Production in the Brazilian Amazon. Nitrogen 5(3): 544-552. https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen5030036
Di Rienzo JA, Casanoves F, Balzarini MG, Gonzalez L, Tablada M and Robledo CW (2020) InfoStat versión 2020. Centro de Transferencia InfoStat, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina.
Erenstein O, Jaleta M, Sonder K, Mottaleb K and Prasanna BM (2022) Global maize production, consumption and trade: Trends and R&D implications. Food Security 14: 1295–1319. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01288-7
Galindo FS, Pagliari PH, Buzetti S, Rodrigues WL, Santini JMK, Boleta EHM et al (2020) Can silicon applied to correct soil acidity in combination with Azospirillum brasilense inoculation improve nitrogen use efficiency in maize? PLOS ONE 15(4): e0230954. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230954
Galindo FS, Pagliari PH, da Silva EC, de Lima BH et al (2024) Impact of nitrogen fertilizer sustainability on corn crop yield: The role of beneficial microbial inoculation interactions. BMC Plant Biology 24: 268. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-04971-3
Gupta K, Dubey NK, Singh SP, Kheni JK, Gupta S and Varshney A (2021) Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR): Current and future prospects for crop improvement. In: Yadav AN, Singh J, Singh C, Yadav N (eds.) Current Trends in Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6949-4_9
Hafez EM, Osman HS, Gowayed SM, Okasha SA et al (2021) Minimizing the adversely impacts of water deficit and soil salinity on maize growth and productivity in response to the application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and silica nanoparticles. Agronomy 11(4): 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11040676
Hasan A, Tabassum B, Hashim M and Khan N (2024) Role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a plant growth enhancer for sustainable agriculture: A review. Bacteria 3(2): 59–75. https://doi.org/10.3390/bacteria3020005
Li G, Shi M, Wan W, Wang Z, Ji S et al (2024) Maize endophytic plant growth-promoting bacteria Peribacillus simplex can alleviate plant saline and alkaline stress. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25(20): 10870. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252010870
Modesto VC, Andreotti M, Nakao AH, Soares DDA et al (2021) Yield and Production Components of Corn Under Straw of Marandu Palisade Grass Inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense in the Low-Land Cerrado. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 4:617065. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.617065
Orozco-Mosqueda MDC, Santoyo G and Glick BR (2023) Recent advances in the bacterial phytohormone modulation of plant growth. Plants 12(3): 606. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030606
Ribeiro VP, Gomes EA, de Sousa SM, de Paula Lana UG et al (2022) Co-inoculation with tropical strains of Azospirillum and Bacillus is more efficient than single inoculation for improving plant growth and nutrient uptake in maize. Archives of Microbiology 204: 143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-022-02759-3
Ríos-Ruiz WF, Jave-Concepción HG, Torres-Chávez EE, Rios-Reategui F et al (2025) Plant-Growth-Promoting Microorganisms: Their Impact on Crop Quality and Yield, with a Focus on Rice. International Journal of Plant Biology 16(1): 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijpb16010009
Ríos-Ruiz WF, Tarrillo-Chujutalli RE, Rojas-García JC, Tuanama-Reátegui C et al (2024a) The Biotechnological Potential of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Isolated from Maize (Zea mays L.) Cultivations in the San Martin Region, Peru. Plants 13(15): 2075. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152075
Ríos-Ruiz WF, Casique-Huamanguli RD, Valdez-Nuñez RA, Rojas-García JC et al (2024b) Rhizospheric Bacteria of Cover Legumes from Acidic Soils Are Capable of Solubilizing Different Inorganic Phosphates. Microorganisms 12(6): 1101. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12061101
Sagar A, Sayyed RZ, Ramteke PW, Ramakrishna W et al (2022) Synergistic effect of Azotobacter nigricans and nitrogen phosphorus potassium fertilizer on agronomic and Yield traits of maize (Zea mays L.). Frontiers in plant science 13: 952212. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.952212
Saheewala H, Sanadhya S, Upadhyay SK, Mohanty SR and Jain D (2023) Polyphasic Characterization of Indigenous Potassium-Solubilizing Bacteria and Its Efficacy Studies on Maize. Agronomy 13(7): 1919. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071919
SENAMHI - Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología del Perú (2022) Historical meteorological data of air temperature and relative humidity from the Tarapoto station (November 2021–April 2022). https://www.senamhi.gob.pe
Sun W, Shahrajabian MH and Soleymani A (2024) The Roles of Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR)-Based Biostimulants for Agricultural Production Systems. Plants 13(5): 613. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13050613
Timofeeva AM, Galyamova MR and Sedykh SE (2023) Plant growth-promoting soil bacteria: nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, and other biological activities. Plants 12(24): 4074. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12244074
Wu Q, Yang L, Liang H, Liu M, Chen Y, Chen D and Shen P (2024) Impacts of Soil Compaction and Phosphorus Levels on the Dynamics of Phosphate-Solubilizing and Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria in the Peanut Rhizosphere. Agronomy 14(9): 1971. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091971
Xing Y and Wang X (2024) Impact of agricultural activities on climate change: A review of greenhouse gas emission patterns in field crop systems. Plants 13(16): 2285. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162285
Zhang L, Zhang X, Gao Q and Yan L (2023) Nitrogen application effect on maize yield, NH₃, and N₂O emissions in Northeast China by meta-analysis. Agronomy 13(6): 1479. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13061479
Dimensions
PlumX
Article abstract page views
Downloads
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The journal allows the author(s) to maintain the exploitation rights (copyright) of their articles without restrictions. The author(s) accept the distribution of their articles on the web and in paper support (25 copies per issue) under open access at local, regional, and international levels. The full paper will be included and disseminated through the Portal of Journals and Institutional Repository of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and in all the specialized databases that the journal considers pertinent for its indexation, to provide visibility and positioning to the article. All articles must comply with Colombian and international legislation, related to copyright.
Author Commitments
The author(s) undertake to assign the rights of printing and reprinting of the material published to the journal Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomía Medellín. Any quotation of the articles published in the journal should be made given the respective credits to the journal and its content. In case content duplication of the journal or its partial or total publication in another language, there must be written permission of the Director.
Content Responsibility
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and the journal are not necessarily responsible or in solidarity with the concepts issued in the published articles, whose responsibility will be entirely the author or the authors.
