Assessment of effect of inoculation of efficient <em>Azospirillum </em>strains<em> </em>on growth and yield of foxtail millet [<em>Setaria italica </em>(L.) Beauv.]

Abstract

A pot culture experiment was conducted under greenhouse condition to study the effect of efficient isolates of Azospirillum strains on plant growth and yield parameters in foxtail millet. From foxtail millet growing areas of Raichur and Koppal districts, 40 samples were collected for isolation and enumeration of Azospirillum. In the investigation 21 isolates were found to be negative for denitrification and thus selected for further study. Based on in vitro studies, six efficient strains of Azospirillum were selected for pot culture experiment on foxtail millet growth and yield parameters at 30 and 60 days after sowing and at harvest. All the isolates including reference strain showed significant increase in plant height, No. of leaves per hill, No. of tillers/hill, Plant biomass, No. of panicles/hill, No. of filled seeds/panicle, No. of chaffy seeds/panicle, test weight, seed yield/plant, straw yield/hill of foxtail millet was observed over control. The strain MARV-18 was found to be efficient strain for foxtail millet crop.