Ensiling is a method of preserving a moist crop. A moist crop can support the growth of a wide range of microorganisms, most of which will degrade the nutrient value to livestock. However, ensiling generally controls microbial activity by a combination of an anaerobic environment and a natural fermentation of sugars by lactic acid bacteria on the crop. This fermentation and the resulting low pH...

The utilization of actinomycetes as potential soybean (Glycine max (L.)) co-inoculants was evaluated. Soil samples from Carbondale and Belleville, Ill., were used to inoculate pre-germinated soybean plants to determine antibiotic sensitivity in the native Bradyrhizobium japonicum population. Sensitivity was in the order kanamycin > tetracycline > oxytetracycline > rifampicin > neomycin. Antagon...

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is widespread in intensive strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) growing areas. It is effectively controlled in site preparation by soil fumigation with methyl bromide but with the ban on ozone-depleting chemicals, which applies to methyl bromide, there has been an international effort to find alternatives, which will protect the crop from planting to...

Native rhizobia are ideal for use as commercial legume inoculants. The characteristics of the carrier used to store the inoculants are important for the survival and symbiotic potential of the rhizobia. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of peat (PEAT), perlite sugarcane bagasse (PSB), carboxymethyl cellulose plus starch (CMCS), and yeast extract mannitol supplemented wi...

This study evaluated the symbiotic effectiveness and economic evaluation of Rhizobium inoculants with the objective of recommending the most effective inoculant strain for soybean and cowpea production in Northern Ghana. Field experiments were established in three locations using randomized complete block design with five blocks. A total of four treatments (Legumefix, Biofix, 100 kg N ha-1 and ...

The phytostimulatory properties of Azospirillum inoculants, which entail production of the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), can be enhanced by genetic means. However, it is not known whether this could affect their interactions with indigenous soil microbes. Here, wheat seeds were inoculated with the wild-type strain Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 or one of three genetically modified (GM...

Positive results from using microbes in restoration and agricultural research coupled with changing technology have led to increased interest scaling up commercializing microbial inoculants as biostimulants bioprotectants. Ecological has not kept pace microbiome regards the effect that these introduced on resident plant soil communities, resulting ecosystem services. Are we unleashing, or alrea...

The present study deals with the isolation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) from rice (variety NIAB IRRI-9) and the beneficial effects of these inoculants on two Basmati rice varieties. Nitrogen-fixing activity (acetylene-reduction activity) was detected in the roots and submerged shoots of field-grown rice variety NIAB IRRI-9. Estimation of the population size of diazotrophic bac...

Abiotic stress significantly limits plant growth and production. Drought, in particular, is a severe constraint that affects agricultural productivity on global scale. Water induces plants set of morpho-anatomical (modification root leaf structure), physiological, biochemical (relative water content, membrane stability, photosynthesis, hormonal balance, antioxidant systems, osmolyte accumulatio...