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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/SAgri/15
Microbial biodiversity to developing biofertilizer for arid agriculture

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Sobia Irum , Sohail Hameed , Naheed Malik and Madiah Habib
1 Department of Biosciences, University of Wah, Wah Cantt, Pakistan
Correspondence: dr.sohail.hameed@uow.edu.pk
Abstract

Nutrient in soil are necessary component for the crop growth, development and production and
hence for retaining agriculture ecosystem to meet the ever-increasing food demand.
Biofertilizer are microbial inoculants are made up of living microbes and soil fertility by
fixing nitrogen, phosphorous solubilization and the synthesis of plant growth hormones. Plant
growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) that can inhabit the rhizosphere of plants and are
accomplished of fixing nitrogen, solubilizing inorganic phosphorus, promoting plant growth,
development and yield. The present study was associated with the biodiversity of symbiotic
(Brady)rhizobium and asymbiotic PGPR isolated from rainfed arid regions of Punjab Pakistan
and to develop biofertilizer for crops . A total four bacterial isolates from root nodules and
rhizosphere of plants were collected and purified. Colony and cellular morphology and
different biochemical assays were determined for all the bacterial isolates. 16S rDNA gene
sequencing was carried out for the identification of bacterial isolates. Two (Brady)rhizobium
and two plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) isolates were found positive for
nitrogen fixation. The solubilization of inorganic phosphorus was revealed by two isolates.
Phytohormone, indole acetic acid producing ability was observed in four isolates. Zinc
mobilization was observed positive for all the isolates. Overall two (Brady)rhizobium and two
PGPR isolates were selected on the basis of their multifunctional properties for a field
experiment to evaluate their ability to improve yield of maize crop and to find their diversity
under arid climate in Fateh Jhang area.
Keywords: biodiversity; biofertilizer; solubilization

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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