A group from Interdepartmental Center SITEIA.PARMA, University of Parma, Italy, etc. has reported about plant growth promoting effects in Wheat and Maize biofertilized with PGPM and Biochar.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9499264/
Biostimulants are classified into biofertilizers, bacteria, and/or fungi, defined as plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPM), which establish a positive relationship with the plant by increasing the bioavailability of nutrients present in the soil and have a positive impact on plant yield and health. To improve the performance of biofertilizers, it is possible to combine them with soil amendments which can stimulate microbial growth and survival. Biochar is such a good candidate, because its structural porosity makes it ideal to provide a niche in which microorganisms can survive environmental stress.
This study investigated the effect of the combination of biochar (as a carrier of PGPM), two types of microbial consortia (MC-B and MC-C), and/or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on wheat and maize when grown in greenhouses.
- MC-B was made up of A. vinelandii DSM 2289, R. aquatilis BB23/T4d, Bacillus sp. BV84, B. amyloliquefaciens LMG 9814, and P. fluorescens DR54.
- MC-C was made up of A. chroococcum LS132, B. amyloliquefaciens LMG 9814, P. fluorescens DR54, B. ambifaria MCI 7, and R. aquatilis BB23/T4d.
The results demonstrated that wheat and maize supplemented with different combinations of selected microbial consortia and biochar have a positive effect on plant growth in terms of shoot and root biomass.
In wheat, the treatments with the largest contribution to the cultures were Char_MC-C, either with or without AMF, followed by Char_MC-B, either with or without AMF. On the other hand, in maize, the best growing conditions were for Char_MC-C, either with or without AMF, followed by Char_MC-B_AMF or AMF alone.
