Application efficacy of biological seed coating agent from combination of PGPR on cotton in the field

Abstract

Application efficacy of the biological seed coating agent (BSCA) prepared with polyvinyl alcohol, sodium carboxymethyl celullose and Na-bentonite and having plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Rs-5 and BCL-8, was investigated on cotton plants in the field. The results showed that the germination rate of cotton seeds treated with BSCA was increased by 11.3%, but the incidence rate of cotton seedlings was decreased by 10.8%, while other growth factors such as plant height, fresh weight, dry weight and leaf area of cotton seedlings were increased by 14.4%, 19.1%, 25.7% and 47.4% compared to treated with chemical seed coating agent (CSCA), respectively. Further analysis demonstrated that enzymatic activity of PAL, POD, PPO, SOD and photosynthetic pigment contents were improved to a certain extent as well, while MDA activity was declined. Moreover, the ionic uptake of Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ in cotton was enhanced, while Na+ absorption was reduced in BSCA compared to CSCA. The yield of cotton seeds treated with BSCA was increased up to 10.5% in comparison with CSCA treatment. Hence, our results revealed that the use of BSCA could not only alleviate the adverse effects of salinity but also has a promising plant growth promoting potential in salinized soil. © 2012 Springer-Verlag GmbH.