The Effect of Biological Inoculation of Azotobacter chrococcum and Glomus mosseae on Growth and Yield of Zea mays L. Under Different Levels of Water Stress

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of inoculation with the bacteria Azotobacter chrococcum and the fungus Glomus mosseae on the growth and yield of Zea mays L. variety (Baghdad 3) under different levels of water stress. The field trial was conducted in the fall season of 2020 in Diwaniyah Governorate-Afak county fields. The experiment was designed according to the Randomized Complete Block Design (R.C.B.D) design with three replications. The treatments were distributed randomly. Three levels of irrigation were used in the experiment, namely (I4) irrigation every four days, (I7) irrigation every seven days, (I10) irrigation every ten days, and inoculation levels. Biological inoculation with the bacteria at two different levels (B1) inoculation with bacteria A-chrococcum, (B0) without inoculation. Fungal inoculation with G-mosseae at two inoculation levels (F1) and without inoculation with (F0). In addition to the overlapping treatment between fungus and (B1F1) bacteria. The treatments' means were compared using the least significant difference (L.S.D) test at a probability level of 5%. The results present that the treatments inoculated with fungi or bacteria, or both, and for a seven-day irrigation period, significantly increased the values of the traits of (dry weight of the root mass, leaf area, chlorophyll concentration, and total yield). The highest means values were (5739) g.Plant-1, (18.04) cm2.plant-1, (58.93) SPAD, and (9.104) tons.ha-1, respectively, compared to the treatments (no application + irrigation every ten days) that gave (13.75) g.Plant-1, (2539) cm2.plant-1, (3.921) SPAD, and (29.07) tons.ha-1.