Jamshid Jazestani, Lobna Abdellatif and Chantal Hamel
Department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
Various groups of microorganisms can play important roles in enhancing agricultural sustainability. Those beneficial interactions include tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, plant growth regulation by producing phyto-hormones and improving nutrient acquisition by the plants. A study was conducted to determine the effects of various micro-organisms isolated at Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC) and some commercial strains. The micro-organisms used include two native strains (Rhizophagus irregularis strain GLD50 and Rhizophagus fasciculatus strain GLA46) and a commercial strain Myke®Pro of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), two native species (Variovorax paradoxux strain L17 and Mycobacterium sp. strain L11) of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and two species (Variovorax paradoxux strain L1, commercial Penicillium bilaiae) of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB). Four experiments were carried out in flax, lentil, pea and wheat in the greenhouse with randomized complete block design. In each crop, there were 27 treatments including the negative controls. The plants grown in pots constituted experimental units which were replicated 4 times. AMF inoculants Rhizophagus irregularis strain GLD 50 and MykePro were significantly more effective than Rhizophagus fasciculatus strain GLA 46 in increasing biomass productivity of lentil and pea. For wheat biomass, the interaction between the AMF and PGPR was highly significant. AMF Rhizophagus irregularis strain GLD 50 and PGPR Variovorax paradoxux strain L17 were the best combination for biomass productivity of wheat. Contrarily, there was no significant effect of any of the micro-organisms on flax. The significant interactions between the AMF and PGPR suggest that specific combination of AMF and PGPR can increase crop biomass more effectively. Further studies are needed in field conditions to verify how far these effects can be translated in agronomic environments.
Keywords: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria, Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria, Native Strains, Biomass.