Influence of biostimulants on important traits of zinnia elegans jacq. under open field conditions

Abstract

The efficacy of microbial treatment on growth, yield, and nutrient uptake is very well acknowledged for field crops. However, the use of microbes for Zinnia elegans has rarely been exploited under field trials. Therefore, in this study, we have evaluated the efficacy of different microbial bioinoculants on sixteen morphological and nine biochemical traits of Z. elegans. We used two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (Glomus mosseae (G) and Acaulospora laevis (A)) along with Trichoderma viride (T) and Pseudomonas florescence (P) as five different treatments under open field conditions, in a randomized complete block design. There were significant differences for all of the traits studied. Treatment 5 (G + A + T + P) was noted as the best treatment for the improvement of morphological characters, whereas Treatment 4 (G + A + P) was most significant for the biochemical trait improvement in Z. elegans. Overall, this study provides useful insight into the bioinoculant treatment that can be applied to improve the yield and flower quality of Z. elegans under open field conditions.