Nitrogen Assimilation, Biomass, and Yield in Response to Application of Algal Extracts, <i>Rhizobium</i> sp., and <i>Trichoderma asperellum</i> as Biofertilizers in Hybrid Maize
Nitrogen is essential for plants’ growth, yield, and crop quality, and its deficiency limits food production worldwide. In addition, excessive fertilization and inefficient use of N can increase production costs and cause environmental problems. A possible solution to this problem is the application...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Nitrogen |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3129/5/4/66 |
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| Summary: | Nitrogen is essential for plants’ growth, yield, and crop quality, and its deficiency limits food production worldwide. In addition, excessive fertilization and inefficient use of N can increase production costs and cause environmental problems. A possible solution to this problem is the application of biofertilizers, which improve N assimilation and increase biomass and yield. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of the application of a combination of green and red algae (<i>Ulva lactuca</i> and <i>Solieria</i> spp.), <i>Rhizobium</i> sp., <i>Trichoderma asperellum</i>, and the combination of the above three biofertilizers on N assimilation. A completely randomized design was performed, with 10 plants per treatment and five treatments: T1 = control; T2 = algal extracts; T3 = <i>Rhizobium</i> sp.; T4 = <i>T. asperellum</i>; T5 = T2 + T3 + T4. Our analyses showed that the biofertilizers’ application was better than the control. The application of <i>Rhizobium</i> sp. had the best performance amongst all of the biofertilizers, with the highest nitrate reductase activity in maize leaves, which enhanced photosynthesis, increasing biomass and yield. The use of <i>Rhizobium</i> sp. showed increases in biomass (13.4%) and yield (11.82%) compared to the control. This research shows that biofertilizers can be a key component for sustainable agricultural practices. |
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| ISSN: | 2504-3129 |