Phosphorus is essential for plant instigation, even so, its vacuity in the soil is often discrete due to its presence in insoluble forms. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSBs) are vital in converting these insoluble phosphorus compounds into forms that plants can readily absorb. Additionally, siderophores are compounds produced by certain bacteria that chelate iron, making it more available to plants, which is crucial for their growth and metabolism. In a study conducted in the Uttarakhand region, researchers aimed to identify and assess bacteria from the rhizosphere of Solanum lycopersicum L. that possess phosphate solubilizing and siderophore-producing abilities. Total 50 unique bacterial strains were collected and evaluated for capacity to make insoluble to soluble phosphate and originate siderophores. Among these, isolate RBS-11 exhibited the highest phosphate solubilization, followed closely by RBS-7. The most proficient isolate, RBS-11, not only released significant amounts of phosphorus but also showed robust siderophore production. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that isolate RBS-11 is Burkholderia dolosa. This bacterium's dual function in phosphorus solubilization and siderophore production highlights its potential as an effective biofertilizer, enhancing nutrient accessibility in soil.
Micronutrient deficiencies have significant impacts on plant growth, grain yield and nutritional quality. Biofortification through seed biopriming can be an effective strategy in meeting the challenges of malnutrition under the changing climatic conditions. Therefore, to evaluate the effects of potent growth promoting rhizospheric microbes Enterobacter cloacae BHUSR1, Serratia marcescens BHUSR2 and Klebsiella aerogenes BHUSR3 on nutrient content of oat grains at different irrigation levels (7 and 10 days) the present work was undertaken. The experiments were conducted in field trials in a randomized complete block design, and the data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The yield was improved significantly upto 93% after seed biopriming even when grown under drought. Improvement in macronutrients observed was upto 39.4% for potassium, 51.1% for phosphorus, while the essential micro-nutrients augmented were 50.5% zinc and 41.6% manganese. Among all the selected strains Klebsiella aerogenes BHUSR3 was found to be most effective in mobilizing phosphorous, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese under irrigated conditions. The macro and micro-nutrients biofortified under drought were bacterial dependent with no common trend observed.
Land recovery may expand the supply of usable land for food security. Immature soil is not conducive to plant growth and needs to be amended with organic matter and plant growth-promoting (PGP) microorganisms. The study evaluates the influence of biofertilizer combinations on the growth and yield of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) cultivated using garden and rhizospheric soils from Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Soil samples were analysed for physio-chemical properties, and pot culture experiments were conducted using Azospirillum brasilense, Bacillus megaterium, and B. circulans, individually and in combinations, along with Phosphate-solubilising Bacteria (PSB), VAM, and NPK fertilizers. Significant improvements were observed in plant height like T3 (18.24 cm), closely followed by T12 (17.66 cm) and T9 (17.24 cm), branching like primary branches (20.56), while T3 (18.78) and T12 (18.14) recorded the highest secondary branches, fruit length, width, fruit number, and yield. Overall, these Results revealed the potentiality combination of particularly PSB + VAM + Azospirillum + Bacillus megaterium + B. circulans + NPK, which have consequence to enhance all measured biofertilizer parameters in the field of Agriculture and they can also be used as an alternative chemical phosphate fertilizer in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
This paper investigates the trends and impacts of climate change on wheat production in Punjab. Employing an Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model spanning from 1990 to 2021, the study examines the relationship between climate variables and wheat production over short and long terms. The findings reveal that rainfall and minimum temperature positively influence wheat production, whereas maximum temperature exhibits a negative impact. These results unveil the complex interplay between climate change and wheat cultivation, offering crucial insights for policymakers, farmers, and stakeholders to develop effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.
This paper is developed as part of developing a supply-side macro model for Kenya. It applies the production function approach to model Kenya’s agricultural gross value-added (GVA) or the sector's output. Depending on the nature of sectoral data, this will determine the choice of different production functions. The equation was estimated using the Gross Value Added (GVA) for the Agricultural sector and then used to project the future values of GVA in the agricultural sector. The econometric technique applied was the Co-integration method based on a Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares equation, applying the Cobb-Douglas Production function approach. Thus, the key study variables for analysis were capital stock, labour force in the sector, technology, and a few other sector-specific control variables such as climate-related variables. For robustness checks, an additional equation was re-estimated for the sector by dropping insignificant variables. The projections showed that GVA was expected to increase from Ksh 1.78 trillion in 2023 to an estimated Ksh 2.32 trillion in 2028. For Kenya, there is evidence of a changing structure of the economy towards a service-based economy, with the shares of agriculture and industry to GDP having decreased over time, a trend that calls for policy intervention, given the critical role of agriculture in food security.
