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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/SAgri/14
Development of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) as biofertilizers

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Bibi Norin Fatima , Sohail Hameed , Naheed Malik , Zunaira Arif
1 Department of Biosciences, university of Wah, Pakistan
Correspondence: dr.sohail.hameed@uow.edu.pk
Abstract

Biofertilizers are natural fertilizers which are living microbial inoculants of bacteria and they
augment the availability of nutrients to the plants. The role of Biofertilizers in agriculture
assumes special significance, particularly in the present context of increasing cost of chemical
fertilizer and their hazardous effects on soil health. PGPR has been proven to be an
environmentally sound way of increasing crop yields by facilitating plant growth through either
a direct or indirect mechanism. The present study aim to develop biofertilizers for various crops
utilizing symbiotic and asymbiotic soil bacteria from different areas which can be used as a
cross inoculants. Six bacterial isolates were isolated from the roots or rhizosphere of pea and
potato plants .all the six bacterial isolates were PGPRs and were collected from tropical region
of Punjab from Gadwal Area Wah cantt (33.8003° N, 72.7531° E).The PGPR isolates were
purified, identified and Characterized for their colony and cell morphology. They are also
biochemically characterized for their catalytic activity, starch hydrolysis and plant growth
promoting traits, i.e., phosphorous solubilization, indole acetic acid production, nitrogen
fixation and zinc mobilization activity. It was found that all the bacterial isolates were test
positive for nitrogen fixation estimation so they are nitrogen fixers as indicated by color
change. The bacterial isolates also show positive results for zinc solubillization by the
formation of halo zone. Phosphorus solubilization also give positive result by all the bacterial
isolates. Six (6) bacterial isolates were also tested for their starch hydrolyzing ability. Two
bacterial isolates showed positive result for amylase production ability after 24 hours. Two
isolates (POGA, POGC) showed minimum amylase production ability and the other two shows
maximum amylase production ability. All of the Six (6) bacterial isolates were screened
positive for phytohormone (Indole acetic acid) production. In order to study different bacterial
isolates the storage and preservation of bacterial cultures is necessary so establish short term
storage methodology of selected microbial cultures.
Keywords: PGRPs; biofertilizers; nitrogen fixation

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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