Coupling phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) with inorganic phosphorus fertilizer improves mungbean (Vigna radiata) phosphorus acquisition, nitrogen fixation, and yield in alkaline-calcareous soil

Hamid Khan; Waqas Ali Akbar; Zahir Shah; Hafeez Ur Rahim; Ali Taj; Juha M Alatalo

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09081

Coupling phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) with inorganic phosphorus fertilizer improves mungbean (Vigna radiata) phosphorus acquisition, nitrogen fixation, and yield in alkaline-calcareous soil

Heliyon. 2022 Mar 9;8(3):e09081. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09081. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Authors

Hamid Khan¹, Waqas Ali Akbar¹, Zahir Shah¹, Hafeez Ur Rahim², Ali Taj¹, Juha M Alatalo³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan.
² Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China.
³ Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.

Abstract

To overcome the problems associated with soil phosphorus (P) insolubility, soil inoculation with phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can be used. In a field experiment, we evaluated the efficacy of PSB in enhancing mungbean P acquisition, nitrogen (N) fixation, and morphological and yield traits in alkaline-calcareous soil when added together with P as single superphosphate (SSP) or rock phosphate (RP) at 45 or 90 kg P₂O₅ ha^-1. Coupling PSB with mineral P fertilizers (SSP & RP) improved P use efficiency, mungbean P acquisition, N₂ fixation, nodulation, NP uptake, and the morphological and yield-related traits of mungbeans compared with non-fertilized controls and plots received P from mineral sources alone. Soil PSB inoculation with mineral P also improved post-harvest soil fertility relative to pre-harvest by improving soil organic matter from 0.61% to 0.70%, lowering pH from 7.74 to 7.68, and improving soil total N from 0.04 to 0.09%, ABDTPA-extractable P from 2.07 to 3.44 mg kg^-1, and potassium (K) concentrations from 100.27 to 129.45 mg kg^-1. When combined with PSB, RP generally performed better than SSP. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between soil N and plant N, while the correlation between soil P and plant P was non-significant. The correlation between soil organic matter content and NP uptake by mungbeans was also non-significant. Therefore, adding P as RP at 45-90 kg ha^-1, together with PSB inoculation, can be recommended for improving mungbean P acquisition, use efficiency, optimum N₂ fixation, and yield in alkaline-calcareous soils.

Keywords: Alkaline-calcareous soils; Mineral phosphorus; Mungbean phosphorus acquisition; Nitrogen fixation; Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB); Yield.