Halophilic rhizobacteria maintain the forage quality of Moringa oleifera grown on a saline substrate

Abstract

In order to obtain an increase in the forage production of high-quality Moringa oleifera Lam., the use of cow dung manure can be combined with the inoculation of biofertilizers based on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). This production was assessed in a greenhouse in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico. Cow dung manure was utilized as part of the substrate (50% compost, 40% sand, and 10% perlite). Three inoculations into the tree were scheduled (at 40, 74 and 152 d after planting) with four PGPR strains; the treatments were: T1: Bacillus paralicheniformis, T2: Acinetobacter guillouiae, T3: Aeromonas caviae, T4: Pseudomonas lini and Control: Bacteria-free; strains from Poza Salada, Valley of Sobaco, Coahuila, Mexico. Three harvests were collected in the 2016-2017 summer-fall-winter cycle. Agronomic and bromatological variables were assessed in order to determine the production and the quality of the tree leaves. The Pseudomonas lini and Bacillus paralicheniformis strains provided a positive response in the development of forage M. oleifera during the summer-fall period, increasing the height in the first weeks of development and providing thicker, firmer diameters. The yield and the bromatological variables exhibited no differences between treatments; however, a good-quality forage was produced. In average, the leaves exhibited 13.56 % ashes, 70.15 % total digestible nutrients, 93.16 % in vitro digestibility of dry matter, 19.72 % neutral detergent fiber, 25.35 % acidic detergent fiber, and 24.15 % crude protein.