EFFECTS OF SOLID AND LIQUID BIO-FERTILIZER ON GLYCINE MAX L. (SOYBEAN) CULTIVATION AND SOIL MICROBIOMES

Abstract

Farmers are widely using biofertilizers due to public concern about the security and safety of food. The process of bio-fertilization alters the microbial composition of the rhizosphere by having microorganisms present in the soil with organic residues. It is assumed that one gram of biofertilizer-rich soil may contain up to 1010 cfu of bacteria. These plant-growth-promoting microbes developed a symbiotic association with the growing plants to supply a nutrient-rich soil reservoir. Consequently, the number of bacteria in the soil is affected by increasing the percentage of plant germination, the type of soil, and the amount of organic matter present. By considering these facts, the experiment was conducted to find out the effect of different biofertilizers on soil microbiomes and soybean production. Since soybean is a significant source of nutritious food and oil, more research is required to boost their output. Therefore, to achieve a significant production of soybeans globally, one must assess all the parameters responsible for the enhanced production, including their association with soil bacteria. In order to evaluate the impact of various treatments on soil microbiomes and soybean production, the study included five inoculum treatments to the soil: (1) chemical fertilizer, (2) cow dung fertilizer, (3) vermicompost, (4) liquid biofertilizer, (5) mixture of all biofertilizers, and one control treatment (C) without any nutrient supplement. Our findings indicated that adding cow dung to the soil resulted in the highest overall CFU count, followed by the addition of mixed biofertilizers. However, the vermicompost performed better in all aspects of growing parameters, such as nodulation and vegetative growth of the soybean. The control treatment proved to be the lowest performer in all parameters studied.