Organic and Inorganic P Sources Interacting with Applied Rhizosphere Bacteria and Their Effects on Growth and P Supply of Maize

Abstract

Plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) may enhance the plant availability of phosphorus (P) in soil. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted cultivating maize (Zea mays L.) on a P-deficient soil. Three bacterial treatments (control without PGPR and application of either Enterobacter radicincitans sp. nov. strain DSM 16656 or Pseudomonas fluorescens strain DR54) were tested in conjunction with three P treatments [no P addition, inorganic P as triplesuperphosphate (TSP), and organic P as phytin] at two different growth stages of maize (V6 and V9). Amendment with TSP enhanced growth, P uptake, and highly bioavailable P pools in soil to a greater extent than phytin. In contrast, arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) formation of maize roots after phytin application doubled those for the TSP treatment or the control without P. Application of PGPR was also able to increase AM formation and P uptake of maize, especially when no P source was added. Furthermore, P. fluorescens inoculation resulted in an increase of highly soluble soil P pools at the early growth stage. Greater impacts of phytin on P nutrition of maize may exist in a longer term as a result of slow P release and promotion of AM fungi. Benefits to maize P nutrition derived from PGPR application can be expected under P deficiency.

Keywords:

• PGPR
• phosphorus
• maize
• mycorrhiza
• phytin

Acknowledgments

The Pseudomonas fluorescens strain DR54 was kindly provided by Ole Nybroe (Department of Ecology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark). This work was financed by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, EI 678/4-1).