Effect of liquid Maxiflo (Azospirillum SPP) and Trykoside (Trichoderma SPP) cultures on the growth and yield of selected crops

[摘要] English: The challenge for science is to address the need for adequate food provision anda sustainable future for agriculture. The solution for increasing food productioncan probably only be obtained through expansion of arable land, by increasingirrigation practices or by increasing harvestable yields on available land throughthe improvement of agricultural technology. With regard to the latter approach,field experiments were conducted at the experimental farm of the University ofthe Free State, Bloemfontein, during the 2003 and 2004 growing seasons, todetermine the effect of Maxiflo and Trykoside (liquid formulations of Azospirilliumand Trichoderma based products, respectively) on vegetative growth and yield oftwo leafy vegetable crops (cabbage and lettuce), a cereal crop (wheat), a fruitcrop (tomato), a tuber crop (potato) and a legume crop (peas). A randomizedcomplete block design with six treatments (Control, Maxiflo, Trykoside, Maxiflo +Trykoside, ComCat® and Ke/pak®) was applied in all cases. Maxiflo andTrykoside were applied either separately or together. Two commercially availablenatural bio stimulants, ComCat® and Ke/pal<®, served as positive controls.Different growth and yield parameters were used to quantify the effect of the testproducts in the above six economically important crops. In cabbage and lettucevegetative growth (plant height, plant diameter and stem thickness) were notaffected but a significant increase in head mass was observed. Peas were mostresponsive to treatment with the bio-products in terms of the increase in yieldobtained. Treatment with Maxiflo and Trykoside in combination increased themedium/large and large size fruit yield in tomatoes while exactly the same wasobserved for tuber size in potatoes. However, in both crops the total yield wasnot significantly affected. In wheat root growth was stimulated significantly bytreatment with Trykoside but no significant yield increase was observed at the5% probability level (P<0.05).

[发布机构] University of the Free State