The Effect of Seed Soaking with Suspensions of Pseudomonas Alcaligenes and Bacillus on the Growth and Yield of Bitter Melon (Momordica Charantia L.) in a Greenhouse

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the impact of soaking bitter melon seeds in a Pseudomonas alcaligenes and Bacillus sp bacteria suspension on the growth and yield of bitter melon. A randomized block design was used with 11 treatments consisting of three isolates of P. alcaligenes, four isolates of Bacillus sp, one mixed suspension of P. alcaligenes, one mixed suspension of Bacillus sp, one mixed suspension of P. alcaligenes with Bacillus sp, and one control, each of which was repeated four times for a total of 44 experimental pots. Data were analyzed using a variance test with one-way ANOVA. The results showed that the highest number of fruits was obtained from the Bacillus sp2 treatment (4.25 units), followed by the mixed Bacillus sp, Bacillus sp3, and P. alcaligenes TmA1 (4.00 units), while the control only yielded 3.25 units. The highest fresh weight per fruit was obtained from the P. alcaligenes TrN2 treatment (89.25 g), followed by Bacillus sp2 (87.2 g), and mixed Bacillus sp (80.66 g), which was an increase of 34.57%, 31.48%, and 21.62% over the control, respectively. Keywords: seed soaking; bitter melon; suspension of Bacillus sp.; P. alcaligenes