Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates

CHNAES-00604; No of Pages 8 Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2018) xxx–xxx

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Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates Asif Iqbal a,b,⁎, Amanullah a, Meizhen Song b, Zahir Shah c, Madeeha Alamzeb a, Mazhar Iqbal d a

Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan, China Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan d Department of Botany, SBB University Sheringal Dir (U), KPK, Pakistan b c

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history: Received 19 July 2018 Received in revised form 4 September 2018 Accepted 5 September 2018 Available online xxxx Keywords: Hybrid maize Zea mays Grain yield Plant residues Poultry manure Phosphorus sources Beneficial microbes

a b s t r a c t Phosphorus unavailability and lack of organic matter in calcareous soils under semiarid climates are the major reasons for low crop productivity. A field experiment was conducted at The Agronomy Research Farm of The University of Agriculture Peshawar (semiarid climate), during summer 2015. The objective of the research was to investigate the effect of plant residues, organic and inorganic phosphorus management on improving yield and yield components of hybrid maize (CS-200) with (+) and without (−) phosphate solubilizing bacteria. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with split plot arrangement, using three replications. A combination of plant residues and phosphorus sources were used as mainplot factor, and phosphate solubilizing bacteria were used as a subplot factor. The results revealed that plant residues, phosphorus sources and phosphate solubilizing bacteria significantly affected all parameters under study except number of plants at harvest. Application of legume residues (Faba bean) increased ear length (22.9 cm), grains row−1 (46) and ear−1 (419), 1000 grains weight (365 g), grain yield (6175 kg ha−1) and shelling percentage (83) as compared to paper mulberry and garlic residues. Phosphorus application at the higher rate of 120 kg ha−1 from inorganic source (single super phosphate) was superior in terms of higher ear length (24.4 cm), number of grains row−1 (48) and ear−1 (455), 1000 grains weight (380 g), grain yield (6558 kg ha−1), harvest index (42.7%) and shelling percentage (83%) than the lower rate of phosphorus (60 kg P ha−1). Inoculation of maize seeds with beneficial microbes (phosphate solubilizing bacteria) significantly increased ear length (22.9 cm), number of grains row−1 (45) and ear−1 (413), 1000 grains weight (364 g), grain yield (6237 kg ha−1), harvest index (41.8%) and shelling percentage (82) than without seed inoculation. On the basis of our results from this study, we concluded that application of faba bean residues, 120 kg P ha−1 as single super phosphate along with seed inoculation with phosphate solubilizing bacteria could improve yield and yield components of hybrid maize under semiarid climates. © 2018 Ecological Society of China. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Maize (Zea mays L.) is the third most important cereal crop in Pakistan after wheat and rice. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa it ranked 2nd after wheat in its importance [42]. The major problems under semiarid condition in Northwest Pakistan are (1) low soil moisture and (2) low soil fertility, especially P unavailability [6]. These soils contain high calcium carbonate with pH ranging from 7 to 9. This high calcium activity coupled with high pH favors the formation of relatively insoluble dicalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphates. Soils which fix more phosphorus and reduce P availability to plants, especially under high ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. E-mail address: asifi[email protected] (A. Iqbal).

pH soils [14] and soils having low organic matter [6,11,42] requires a higher rate of P-fertilizer [39]. Deficiency of soil P is one of the important factors restricting maize growth and yield in semiarid climates [33,71]. Phosphorus adsorption under calcareous soils [9,41] in semiarid condition [14,30] decreases the availability of P for the crop plants. Therefore more chemical fertilizers are used to restock soil nutrients, which resulted in high costs and unadorned environmental contamination [22]. Plant residues help to recycle the nutrients ([1]. Organic material inputs mainly include organic fertilizers, plant residues, and other organic debris. Crop residues are good sources of plant nutrients and are important components for the stability of agricultural ecosystems (Li et al. (2015). Studies revealed that the use of organic sources improve N:P ratio and yield [15,47]. Due to high fertilizer cost, decline of soil health and environmental concerns, organic manures become more indispensable [75]. Plant residues on decomposition produced organic P with the

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.005 1872-2032/© 2018 Ecological Society of China. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article as: A. Iqbal, et al., Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates, Acta Ecologica Sinica (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.005

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A. Iqbal et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2018) xxx–xxx

help of soil microorganism [60]. Vegetable and flower residues are rich in N, P and K should be used as fertilizer, which is the more appropriate way of for waste management [36,74]. Phosphorus supply through biological means is a viable substitute as phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), phosphate solubilizing fungi (PSF) and actinomycetes have been reported to be active in the conversion of insoluble phosphate to soluble primary and secondary orthophosphate ions [20]. PSB can help to increase the accessibility of accumulated phosphates for plant growth by solubilization [31,32]. Therefore, inoculation of plants by a target microorganism at a higher concentration than that normally found in soil is necessary to take advantage of the property of phosphate solubilization for plant yield enhancement [72]. Accordingly, several works reported that inoculation with PSB resulted in improved growth, yield and P uptake in several crops ([18,53,77]; Khan et al., 2010; [34,63]). Microbial inoculants are now being explored worldwide for their potential to mobilize unavailable P, thereby; increasing the ability of plant for uptake of P. Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms could enhance P solubility, by releasing bound organic phosphates by intensifying the rate of hydrolytic cleavage [70]. Phosphorus and organic matter are the major limiting factors of crop production in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The integrated use of plant residues (PR), phosphorus and PSB (+) could increase P-availability and thereby enhance crop productivity. However, there is no research to investigate the interactive effects of PR × PS × PSB in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This research was therefore designed to study the interactive effect of PR × PS × PSB on growth, yield and yield components of maize hybrid (CS200) in the study area with semiarid climate. 2. Materials and methods A field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of plant residues [faba bean, garlic and paper mulberry residues, each source applied (sole) at the rate of 10 t ha−1], two phosphorus levels [low (60 kg P ha−1) and high (120 kg P ha−1)] from two sources viz. inorganic source SSP (single super phosphate) and organic source (poultry manure) along with two PSB (phosphate solubilizing bacteria) levels [inoculated seeds with PSB (+) and seeds not inoculated with PSB (−)] on the yield and yield components of hybrid (CS 200) maize (Zea mays L.). The research was conducted at the Agronomy Research Farm of The University of Agriculture Peshawar, having semiarid climate during summer 2015. The climate of the area is semiarid where the mean annual rainfall is very low (300 to 500 mm), 60–70% rainfall occurs in summer, while the remaining 30–40% rainfall occurs in winter [7].

2.2. PSB application method The PSB was obtained from the NARC, Islamabad. The PSB contains bacteria (Pseudomonas striata), carrier mixture (pine powder of partical size 10–40 μm) and adhesive materials (gum arabic, methylethylcellulose, sucrose solution and vegetable oil) which help to stick on seed surface. One pack of PSB contains 1 × 108 bacterial cells per kg. PSB was applied through seed inoculation at the rate of 200 g for 10 kg of maize seeds. Maize seeds were moisten thourghly with 10% solution and then PSB slurry was added to the seeds. The inoculated seeds were kept for 10–15 min under shed before sowing. 2.3. Data recording The total number of plants at harvest was recorded by counting total number of plants in one meter row length at three randomly selected rows in each sub plot and was converted to number of plants at harvest ha−1 for maize by following formula. −1

Plants ha

¼


Number of plants counted  10000 m2 Plot area

Data on ear length (cm) was recorded with the help of meter rod by selecting ten plants randomly from each subplot and then the average was worked out. Number of grains ear−1 were calculated on ten randomly selected ears from each subplot and then average was worked out. Data on number of grain rows per ear was calculated by counting grain rows in ten selected ears and then averaged. Grain weight of randomly 1000 grains were taken from seed lot of each subplot and was weighted with the help of electronic balance. To record data on biological yield, three central rows were harvested in each subplot. The material was sundried and weighed by spring balance and then converted into kg ha−1 by the following formula.   Biological yield ðkg Þ in three central rows −1 ¼ Biological yield kg ha No:of rows 
Row length  R−R distance  10000 m2 From the harvested materials of each treatment for biological yield, the ears were separated and threshed, the seeds were cleaned and weighed with electronic balance and then converted into kg ha−1 using the formula:   −1 ¼ Grain yield kg ha

2.1. Experimental design The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with split plot arrangement, using three replications. A combination of plant residues and phosphorus sources were used as a main plot factor. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (with and without PSB) were applied to the subplot. One control plot (where no plant residues, no phosphorus sources and no PSB applied) was used per replication for comparison with the average of treated (fertilized) plots. Each subplot was consisted of five rows, 3 m long and 70 cm apart. The seeds were sown at the rate of 30 kg ha−1 and after emergence a uniform plant density of 70,000 plants ha−1 was maintained in each plot. Poultry manure (PM) was used as a source of organic phosphorus. The required organic sources (plant residues and poultry manures) were applied about one month before sowing, while the inorganic P source (SSP) was applied at seedbed preparation one day before sowing. The inoculated (with PSB) and uninoculated seeds (without PSB) was sown in their respective plots in 70 cm apart rows. A uniform dose of 60 kg K ha−1 as sulfate of potash (50% K2O), 12 kg Zn ha−1 as zinc sulphate and 150 kg N ha−1 as urea in two equal splits, that is, half at sowing, and half at knee height were also applied.

Grain yield ðkgÞ in three central rows No:of rows 
Row length  R−R distance  10000 m2

Harvest index for each treatment was calculated by using the following formula. Harvest index ¼

Economic yield  100 Biological yield

Shelling percentage for each treatment was calculated by using the following formula. Shelling percentage ¼

Grains weight of 10 ears  100 Total weight of 10 ears

2.4. Statistical analysis Data were statistically analyzed according to Steel and Terrie [68] and means were compared using LSD test (P ≤ 0.05). The detailed analysis of variance and significance levels regarding all the parameters studied are given Tables 1 & 3. For the statistical analysis the MS-Excel was used.

Please cite this article as: A. Iqbal, et al., Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates, Acta Ecologica Sinica (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.005

A. Iqbal et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2018) xxx–xxx

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Table 1 Analysis of variance for number of plants at harvest, ear length, number of grains row−1, number of grains ear−1 of hybrid maize as affected plant residues and phosphorus sources with and without phosphate solubilizing bacteria. Source of variance

Degree of freedom

Number of plants at harvest

Ear length (cm)

Number of grains row−1

Number of grains ear−1

Replications Treatments (T) Plant residue (PR) Phosphorus sources (PS) PR × PS Control vs. rest Error 1 PSB PSB × T PSB × PR PSB × PS PSB × PR × PS PSB × control vs rest Error 2 Total CV-I (%) CV-II (%)

2 [12] {2} {3} {6} {1} 24 1 [12] {2} {3} {6} {1} 26 77

ns ns ns ns ns ns – ns ns ns ns ns ns – – 2.06 1.05

ns *** * *** ns *** – *** ns ns ns ns ns – – 8.31 6.45

ns *** *** *** ns *** – *** ns * ns ns ns – – 7.07 2.68

ns *** *** *** * *** – *** * ns *** ns ns – – 2.61 1.56

Where *, **, and *** indicates that data is significant at 5, 1 and 0.1% level of probability, respectively. The word ns stand for the non − significant data at 5% level of probability.

3. Results 3.1. Number of plants at harvest Analysis of the data (Table 1) showed that plant residues (PR), phosphorus source (PS), phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and control (where no plant residues, no phosphorus sources and no PSB applied) vs. rest (average of all treated plots) had no significant effects on the number of plants at harvest. All the interactions were also found nonsignificant. The average number of plants in different treatments was around 67,000 plants ha−1 (Table 2). 3.2. Ear length Statistical analysis of the data showed that plant residues (PR), phosphorus source (PS), phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and control vs. rest had a significant effect, while interactions had non-significant

Table 2 Number of plants at harvest, ear length, number of grains row−1, number of grains ear−1 of hybrid maize as affected plant residues and phosphorus sources with and without phosphate solubilizing bacteria. Plant residue (PR)

Number of plants at harvest

Paper mulberry 67179 Garlic 67199 Faba bean 67261 LSD ns P-Source (kg ha−1) 60-SSP 67120 120-SSP 67502 60-PM 67022 120-PM 67207 LSD ns PSB With PSB 67200 Without PSB 67226 LSD ns Control 67005 Rest 67213 Interactions PR × PS ns PSB × PR ns PSB × PS ns PSB × PR × PS ns

Ear length (cm)

Number of grains row−1

Number of grains ear−1

21.3 b 21.9 ab 22.9 a 1.1

42 b 43 b 46 a 1.8

394 c 407 b 419 a 6.2

21.3 bc 24.2 a 20.4 c 22.2 b 1.2

42 c 48 a 41 c 45 b 2.1

386 c 455 a 367 d 419 b 7.2

22.9 a 21.1 b 0.7 18.9 b 22.0 a

45 a 43 b 0.6 35 b 44 a

413 a 400 b 3 332 b 407 a

ns ns ns ns

ns *(Fig. 1) ns ns

*(Fig. 2) ns *** (Fig. 3) ns

Means of the same category followed by different letters are significantly different from each other using LSD test (P ≤ 0.05). Where: ns stands for non-significant data using LSD test (P ≤ 0.05).

on ear length (Table 1). Plots treated with faba bean residues produced a higher ear length (22.9 cm) as compared to garlic and paper mulberry residues i.e. 21.9 and 21.3 cm, respectively (Table 2)). Higher ear length was recorded with the application of 120 kg P ha−1 (24.2 and 22.2 cm respectively), whereas lower ear length was observed in plots receiving 60 Kg P ha−1 either from inorganic or organic source. Application of PSB increased ear length (22.9 cm) than plots without PSB (21.1 cm). Shorter ear length was recorded in control plots (18.9 cm) as compared with treated plots (22.0 cm). 3.3. Number of grains row−1 Perusal of the data revealed that plant residues (PR), phosphorus source (PS), phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), control vs. rest and PSB × PR interaction had significantly affected number of grains row−1, while rest of interactions were found non-significant (Table 1). More number of grains row−1 (46) was obtained from faba bean residues as compared to garlic residues and paper mulberry residues (43 and 42, respectively) as shown in Table 2. P applied at higher rate (120 kg P ha−1) either from inorganic sources or organic source increased number of grains row−1 (48 and 45 respectively). PSB treated seeds sown produced more number of grains row−1 (45) than plots having no PSB inoculation (43). Planned mean comparisons data revealed that lesser number of grains row−1 was counted in control plot (35) than treated plots (44). Interaction among PSB × PR showed that inoculation of maize seeds with PSB along with any plant residues amplified number of grains row−1 of hybrid maize (Fig. 1). 3.4. Number of grains ear−1 Data regarding number of grains ear−1 are presented in Table 2. Mean data revealed that number of grains ear−1 was significantly affected by plant residues (PR), phosphorus source (PS), phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and interactions (PR × PS, PSB × PS) as shown in Table 1. More number of grains ear−1 (419) was obtained from faba bean residues (Table 2), while less number of grains ear−1 was noted from garlic and paper mulberry residues (407 and 394, respectively). Application of higher P rate (120 kg P ha−1) either from inorganic sources or organic source increased number of grains ear−1 (455 and 419 respectively). The plots sown with PSB resulted in more number of grains ear−1 (413) than plots without PSB (400). Lesser number of grains ear−1 was recorded in control plot (332) than treated plots (407). Interaction between PR × PS indicated that the application of any plant residues along with the higher P rate either as organic or inorganic source increased number of grains ear−1 (Fig. 2). In case of

Please cite this article as: A. Iqbal, et al., Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates, Acta Ecologica Sinica (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.005

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A. Iqbal et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2018) xxx–xxx 50

48

460

Number of grains ear-1

Number of grains row-1

With PSB Without PSB

480

With PSB Without PSB

46

44

42

440

420

400

380

40 360

38

340

Paper Mulberry

Garlic

Fababean

60-SSP

Plant residues (10 ton ha-1)

120-SSP

60-PM

120-PM

Phosphorus sources (kg ha -1)

Fig. 1. Response of number of grains row−1 of maize hybrid to plant residues and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PR × PSB).

Fig. 3. Response of number of grains ear−1 of maize hybrid to phosphorus sources and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PS × PSB).

interaction between PSB × PR higher number of grains ear−1 was recorded from inoculation of maize seeds with PSB along with any plant residues (Fig. 3).

3.6. Grain yield

3.5. Thousand grains weight Data pertaining thousand grains weight is presented in Table 4. Statistical analysis of the data showed that plant residues (PR), phosphorus source (PS), phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), control vs. rest and PSB × PR interaction had significant effect, while rest of interactions were found non-significant for thousand grains weight (Table 3). Heaviest thousand grains weight was produced by faba bean residues (365.46 g), while the lightest was recorded from paper mulberry residues (354.72 g). Phosphorus at the rate of (120 kg P ha−1) either from inorganic sources or organic source increased thousand grains weight (380.06 g) of hybrid maize (Table 4). Plots with PSB had produced heavier thousand grains weight (364.12 g) than plots without PSB (355.86 g). Planned mean comparisons data revealed that lighter thousand grains weight was recorded in control plot (324.05 g) than treated plots (359.99 g). PSB × PR interaction presented that inoculation of maize seeds with PSB along with any plant residues increased thousand grains weight (g) of hybrid maize (Fig. 4). 480 Paper Mulberry Garlic Fababean

Number of grains ear-1

460 440 420 400

Perusal of the data indicated that PR, PS, PSB, control vs. rest and PSB × PS interaction had a significant effect on grain yield kg ha−1 (Table 3). Among the three organic sources used, maximum grain yield (6192 kg ha−1) was obtained from the application of faba bean residues (Table 4), while the minimum was obtained with the application of garlic and paper mulberry residues (5996 and 5906 kg ha−1, respectively). The higher grain yield (6558 and 6221 kg ha−1) was produced by the application of the higher P rate (120 kg P ha−1) either from an inorganic source or organic source, respectively. The plots sown with PSB inoculated seeds of maize had produced a higher grain yield (6248 kg ha−1) than plots without PSB inoculation (5814 kg ha−1). Planned mean comparisons of the data exhibited that lower grain yield was recorded in control plot (4517 kg ha−1) as compared with treated plots (6031 kg ha−1). Interaction between PSB × PR indicated that inoculated seeds with PSB along with along with the higher P rate either as organic or inorganic source increased grain yield kg ha−1 of hybrid maize (Fig. 5). 3.7. Harvest index Data on harvest index is reported in Table 4. Analysis showed that phosphorus source (PS) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) had significant, while plant residues (PR) and interactions had nonsignificant effect on harvest index (Table 3). Application of higher P rate (120 kg P ha−1) either from inorganic or organic source produced maximum harvest index (42.7 & 41.7%, respectively). PSB inoculation with seeds resulted in the higher harvest index (41.8%) than plots without PSB (40.9%). Planned mean comparisons data showed that less harvest index was obtained from control plot (35.6%) than treated plots having 41.3% (Table 4).

380

3.8. Shelling percentage

360 340 320 60-SSP

120-SSP

60-PM

120-PM

Phosphorus sources (kg ha -1) Fig. 2. Response of number of grains ear−1 of maize hybrid to plant residues and phosphorus sources (PR × PS).

Data concerning shelling percentage are presented in Table 4. The mean data revealed that shelling percentage was significantly affected by plant residues (PR), phosphorus source (PS) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) significant, while all the interactions had nonsignificant effect on shelling percentage (Table 3). Incorporation of faba bean residues resulted in the greater shelling percentage (83%) as compared to garlic paper mulberry residues (82 and 81%, respectively). Phosphorus applied at a higher rate (120 kg P ha−1) either from

Please cite this article as: A. Iqbal, et al., Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates, Acta Ecologica Sinica (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.005

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Table 3 Analysis of variance for thousand grains weight (g), grain yield (kg ha-1), harvest index (%) and shelling percentage (%) of hybrid maize as affected plant residues and phosphorus sources with and without phosphate solubilizing bacteria. Source of variance

Degree of freedom

Thousand grains weight (g)

Grain yield (kg ha-1)

Harvest index (%)

Shelling percentage (%)

Replications Treatments (T) Plant residue (PR) Phosphorus sources (PS) PR × PS Control vs. rest Error 1 PSB PSB × T PSB × PR PSB × PS PSB × PR × PS PSB × control vs rest Error 2 Total CV-I (%) CV-II (%)

2 [12] {2} {3} {6} {1} 24 1 [12] {2} {3} {6} {1} 26 77

ns *** *** *** ns *** – *** ns * ns ns ns – – 1.51 1.20

ns *** * *** ns *** – *** ns ns * ns ns – – 5.35 3.64

ns ** ns * ns *** – * ns ns ns ns ns – – 6.04 4.33

ns *** * *** ns *** – *** ns ns ns ns ns – – 2.36 1.41

Where *, **, and *** indicates that data is significant at 5, 1 and 0.1% level of probability, respectively. The word ns stand for the non − significant data at 5% level of probability.

4. Discussion 4.1. Control vs. rest (treated plots) The yield is an important measure in evaluating the adaptability of a crop to the ecological disparity [62]. In the current study control vs. rest had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected ear length, number of grains ear−1 and grains row−1, 1000 grains weight, grain yield, harvest index and shelling percentage. The rest (average of all treated plots) had increased Table 4 Thousand grains weight (g), grain yield (kg ha−1), harvest index (%) and shelling percentage (%) of hybrid maize as affected plant residues and phosphorus sources with and without phosphate solubilizing bacteria. Plant residue (PR)

Thousand grains weight (g)

Grain yield (kg ha−1)

Harvest index (%)

Shelling percentage (%)

Paper mulberry Garlic Faba bean LSD P-Source (kg ha−1) 60-SSP 120-SSP 60-PM 120-PM LSD PSB With PSB Without PSB LSD Control Rest Interactions PR × PS PSB × PR PSB × PS PSB × PR × PS

354.72 c 359.79 b 365.46 a 3.21

5906 b 5996 b 6192 a 188

40.9 41.2 41.9 ns

81 bc 82 ab 83 a 1.1

347.89 c 380.06 a 341.44 d 370.57 b 3.7

5840 c 6558 a 5506 d 6221 b 218

40.8 b 42.7 a 40.2 b 41.7 ab 1.7

81 bc 83 a 80 c 82 ab 1.3

364.12 a 355.86 b 2.08 324.05 b 359.99 a

6248 a 5814 b 104 4517 b 6031 a

41.8 a 40.9 b 0.9 35.6 b 41.3 a

82 a 81 b 0.6 77 b 82 a

ns *(Fig. 4) ns ns

ns ns *(Fig. 5) ns

ns ns ns ns

ns ns ns ns

Means of the same category followed by different letters are significantly different from each other using LSD test (P ≤ 0.05). Where: ns stands for non-significant data using LSD test (P ≤ 0.05). *, **, and *** indicates that data is significant at 5, 1, and 0.1% level of probability, respectively. The word ns stand for the non-significant data at 5% level of probability.

yield components, yield, harvest index and shelling percentage as compared to control (where no plant residues, no phosphorus sources and no PSB applied). Increased in yield components in the rest plots might be due to the supply of nutrients from the decomposition of residues that help the plants in ample supply of nutrients. Moreover, phosphorus availability may also increases with the application of PSB, which improved growth and development, and ultimately into yield and yield components. [10] and Kouyate et al. [48] reported an increase in grain and stover yields by 37 and 49%, respectively, with crop residue incorporation over control (no residue incorporation). Similarly, phosphorus being responsible for good root growth directly affected the yield components because P at the rate of 0 kg ha−1 (control plots) resulted in the lower yield components and ultimately the yield [40]. Likewise, Arain et al. [12] reported that minimum yield in the control plots resulted due to less number of grains plant−1. According to Amanullah and Khan [4] and Yazdani et al. [76] inoculation of maize seed with PSB under field condition increased yield and yield components as compared to no inoculation (without PSB). 4.2. PSB (+) vs. PSB (−) Significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences were found in ear length, number of grains ear−1 and grains row−1, 1000 grains weight, grain yield, harvest index and shelling percentage between the seeds treated with PSB (+) 380

With PSB Without PSB

375

Thousand grains weight (g)

inorganic sources or organic source improved shelling percentage (83 and 82% respectively) than lower P rate (Table 4). The PSB treated plots had produced more shelling percentage (82%) than plots having no PSB (81%). Planned mean comparisons of the data exhibited that the rest plots (treated) had higher shelling percentage than (82%) control (untreated) plot (77%).

370

365

360

355

350

345 Paper Mulberry

Garlic

Fababean

Plant residues (10 ton ha-1) Fig. 4. Response of thousand grains weight (g) of maize hybrid to plant residues and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PR × PSB).

Please cite this article as: A. Iqbal, et al., Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates, Acta Ecologica Sinica (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.005

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A. Iqbal et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2018) xxx–xxx With PSB Without PSB

7000

incorporation of residues, release plant nutrients slowly throughout the crop growth period, leading to better uptake of nutrients which increase productivity of both rice and vegetable crops. Similarly, improvement in wheat yield due to the incorporation of plant residue was earlier reported by [23,26,66].

6800

Grain yield (kg ha-1)

6600 6400 6200

4.4. Organic vs. inorganic phosphorus

6000 5800 5600 5400 5200 5000 4800 60-SSP

120-SSP

60-PM

120-PM

Phosphorus (kg ha-1) Fig. 5. Response of grain yield (kg ha−1) of maize hybrid to phosphorus sources and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PS × PSB).

and without PSB (−). Seed inoculation with PSB (+) had produced more yield components, yield, harvest index and shelling percentage than without PSB (−). According to Soleymanifard et al. [67] application of phosphate solubilizing bacteria improving soil fertility by releasing bound P and promotes root growth, which in turn enhancing nutrients and water uptake from the soil and finally increased the yield (Lin et al., 1983). Dobbelaere et al. [25] evaluated the inoculation effect of beneficial microbes on growth of spring wheat and observed that inoculated wheat plants had better growth, more number of grains spike−1 and grain yield. Many researchers [16,29,49,61] reported that biological phosphorus fertilizers (Pseudomonas) significantly increased the number of grains rows per ear of corn rather than unused treatments. Several other studies [4,35,44,54,76] suggested that PSB inoculated seeds and optimal use of P fertilizer under field condition increased yield and yield components than non-inoculated seeds. Stimulation in growth and yield of maize by inoculation with bio-fertilizer in field condition is reported by [19,58] and in peanut by [24]. Several other scientist [4,5,73] also recognized that treatment inoculated with bacterial strain (PSB) improved the nutritional plant status, with the consequent significant increase in development of plant and grain yield. Zafar et al. [78] reported that combine the use of PSB and P sources, harvest index of maize increased up to 12%. Thus, it is indicated that using PSB caused to increasing harvest index due to effect on dry weight and allocating more photosynthetic matters to grain [55]. The increase in shelling percentage with the application of PSB might be due to the increase in ear length, number of rows and number of grains per ear as well as heaviest grains weight, as PSB solubilize bound P and increase P uptake by plants [4]. 4.3. Plant residues Plant residue incorporation had significant (P ≤ 0.05) effects on ear length, number of grains ear−1 and grains row−1, 1000 grains weight, grain yield and shelling percentage. However, no significant differences were observed for harvest index among plant residues. Application of legume (faba bean) residues improved yield and yield components over garlic and paper mulberry residues. Increased in yield components due to the application of faba bean residues might be due to the rapid decomposition of legume residues that help the plants in ample supply of nutrients and improved growth and development and ultimately into yield and yield components. Many researchers (Amanullah and Hidyatullah 2016; [10,13,64,69]) reported an increase in yield and yield components with incorporation of plant residues over control (no residue incorporation). According to Rajput and Warsi [57],

Yield and yield components in maize increased by application of inorganic phosphorus (SSP) as compared with organic phosphorus (PM). Application of SSP (inorganic-P) had produced the maximum yield components, yield, harvest index and shelling percentage, while the lowest were produced with the application of PM (organic-P). This would be due to maximum availability of mineral nutrients for optimum cell growth, reproduction, photosynthesis and transformation of sugars and starches. The lower results of poultry manure (organic-P) in term of yield components, yield, harvest index and shelling percentage might be due to slow decomposition of PM as compared to mineral fertilizer. According to Hidayatullah et al. [38] nutrients contained in organic manures are released more slowly and are stored for a longer time in the soil, thereby ensuring a long residual effect. These results are in accordance with Ali et al. [2], [45,46] and Jamwal and Bhagat [43], who reported that SSP produced more yield components due to high availability of P and ultimately increased grain yield as compared to other P sources. Increase in yield and yield components of maize was reported earlier by Iqbal et al. [42], Khan et al. (2013), Zafar et al. [78] and Cheema et al. [21] due to integrated application of organic and inorganic fertilizers under semiarid climates. The increase in yield of maize with combined application of P and compost (manure) probably may be due to the increase in P availability [17]. Zafar et al. [79] observed similar trend for the shelling percentage as P fertilizers and integrated use of P fertilizer with poultry manure significantly increased shelling percentage of maize. 4.5. Low vs. high phosphorus levels Phosphorus levels had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected ear length (cm), number of grains ear−1, number of grain row−1, thousand grains weight, grain yield, harvest index and shelling percentage of maize hybrid. Phosphorus applied at the higher rates (120 kg P ha−1) either from organic (PM) or inorganic (SSP) source had increased yield, yield components, harvest index and shelling percentage as compared to lower levels (60 kg P ha−1) from each source. Phosphorus plays key role in plant biochemical and physiological activities cause to enhanced growth and increase the number of grains per ear [56]. This may be due to the fact that optimum availability of P has been associated with increased rapid growth and development, which ultimately increased yield and yield components [40]. The results are in accordance with those of Hussain et al. [40], Maqsood et al. [51], Leon [50], Fareed [27] and Sharma and Sharma [65] reported that number of grains ear−1 and thousand grains weight were influenced significantly with P application. The results of many researcher [4,16,28,40,44,52] suggested that yield and yield components of maize increased significantly with increase in P level up to 90 kg P ha−1, while Alias et al. [3] studied that maximum number of grains ear−1 and 1000 grains weight was observed at 125 kg P ha−1. [7,8] also suggested that application of 90 kg P ha−1 to maize crop increased grower's income as compared to the low rates of P (90 N 60 N 30 kg P ha−1). In the current experiment we noticed decrease in yield and yield components of maize under low level than at high level of P. Likewise, Qhorchiany et al. [56], Gyaneshwar et al. [33] and Vance et al. [71] reported decrease in yield and yield components of maize with decrease in P level under P deficient soils. According to Amanullah and Khan [4], Zafar et al. [79] and Alias et al. [3] maximum harvest index was obtained with the application of phosphorus at high levels, which might be due to the increase in yield and yield components of maize with higher P rates [8]. The

Please cite this article as: A. Iqbal, et al., Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates, Acta Ecologica Sinica (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.005

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increase in maize yield and shelling percentage with increase in P level probably may be due to the increase in ear-length, number of rows and number of grains per ear as well as heaviest grains weight [4,9,39]. 5. Conclusions We concluded from this study that inorganic-P source (SSP) was found better than organic-P (PM) in terms of higher yield and yield components of the current hybrid maize crop. However, the higher rate of P from organic source (PM) was far better than the lower rate of P from SSP. Combined application of 120 kg P ha−1 either from organic source (PM) or inorganic source (SSP) along with faba bean residues and inoculation of seed with phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) improved yield and yield components of hybrid maize under semiarid climates. References [1] K. Akhtar, A. Khan, M.T. Jan, M.Z. Afridi, S. Ali, S. Zaheer, Effect of humic acid and crop residue application on emergence and wheat phenology, Pure Appl. Bio. 4 (1) (2015) 97–103. [2] M. Ali, L. Ali, M. Sattar Mueen-Ud-Din, M.Q. Waqar, M.A. Ali, L. Khalid, Comparative performance of wheat in response to different phosphatic fertilizers, Int. J. Res. Agri. Fore. 2 (6) (2015) 2394–5907. [3] A. Alias, M. Usman, E. Ullah, E.A. Warraich, Effects of different phosphorus levels on the growth and yield of two cultivars of maize (Zea mays L.), Intel. J. Agric. Bio. 05 (4) (2003) 632–634. [4] Amanullah, A. Khan, Phosphorus and compost management influence maize (Zea mays L.) productivity under semiarid condition with and without phosphate solubilizing bacteria, Front. Plant Sci. 6 (2015) 1–8. [5] Amanullah, S. Khalid, Phenology, growth and biomass yield response of maize (Zea mays L.) to integrated use of animal manures and phosphorus application with and without phosphate solubilizing bacteria, J. Microb. Biochem. Technol. 7 (2015) 439–444. [6] M. Asif Amanullah, L.K. Almas, Agronomic efficiency and profitability of P-fertilizers applied at different planting densities of maize in Northwest Pakistan, J. Plant Nutr. 35 (2012) 331–341. [7] M. Yasir Amanullah, S.K. Khalil, M.T. Jan, A.Z. Khan, Phenology, growth, and grain yield of maize as influenced by foliar applied urea at different growth stages, J. Plant Nutr. 33 (2010) 71–79. [8] M. Zakirullah Amanullah, M. Tariq, K. Nawab, A.Z. Khan, Z. Shah Farhatullah, A. Jan, S.K. Khalil, M.T. Jan, M. Sajid, Z. Hussain, H. Rahman, Levels and time of phosphorus application influence growth, dry matter partitioning and harvest index in maize, Pak. J. Bot. 42 (6) (2010) 4051–4061. [9] M. Asif Amanullah, S.S. Malhi, R.A. Khattak, Effects of P-fertilizer source and plant density on growth and yield of maize in northwestern Pakistan, J. Plant Nutr. 32 (2009) 2080–2093. [10] M. Zakirullah Amanullah, S.K. Khalil, Timing and rate of P application influence maize phenology, yield and profitability in Northwest Pakistan, Intel. J. Plant Produc. 4 (2010) 281–292. [11] MajidUllah Amanullah, I. Khan, Pheno-morphological traits of mung bean as influenced by P and tillage under irrigated and un-irrigated conditions, Pure Appl. Bio. 3 (2014) 55–59. [12] A.S. Arain, S.M. Aslam, A.K.G. Tunio, Performance of maize hybrids under varying NP fertilizer environments, Sarhad J. Agric. 5 (6) (1989) 623–626. [13] M.M.T.Jan. Arif, M.J. Khan, M. Saeed, I. Munir, H. Akbar Ziauddin, S. Shah, M.Z. Khan, Effect of cropping system and residue management on maize, Pak. J. Bot. 43 (2) (2011) 915–920. [14] T. Aziz, M.A. Gill, D.S. Rahmatullah, S. Schubert, Rockphosphate acquisition by four Brassica cultivars, In Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of German Society of Plant Nutrition, September 27–28, 2005, Bonn, 2005. [15] S.M. Bakhtiar, M.J. Alam, K. Mahmood, M.H. Rahman, Integrated nutrient management under three agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh. Pak, J. Biol. Sci. 5 (2002) 390–393. [16] H. Balochgharayi, Effect of Phosphorus Fertilizer on Chemical and Biomass Properties of the Corn Crop. Master's Thesis, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, 2011. [17] D.R. Biswas, Nutrient recycling potential of rock phosphate and waste mica enriched compost on crop productivity and changes in soil fertility under potato–soybean cropping sequence in an inceptisol of indo-gangetic plains of India, Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosyst. 89 (2011) 15–30. [18] L.N. Castagno, M.J. Estrella, A.I. Sannazzaro, A.E. Grassano, O.A. Ruiz, Phosphate solubilization mechanism and in vitro plant growth promotion activity mediated by Pantoea eucalypti isolated from Lotus tenuis rhizosphere in the Salado River Basin (Argentina), J. Appl. Microbiol. 110 (2011) 1151–1165. [19] R. Chabot, H. Anton, M.P. Cescas, Growth promotion of maize and lettuce by phosphate solubilizing Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar. Phaseoli, Plant Soil 184 (1996) 311–321. [20] R. Chabot, H. Antoun, M.P. Cescas, Stimulation de la croissance du maïs et de la laitue romaine par des microorganismes dissolvant phosphore inorganique, Can. J. Microbiol. 39 (1993) 941–947.

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Please cite this article as: A. Iqbal, et al., Integrated use of plant residues, phosphorus and beneficial microbes improve hybrid maize productivity in semiarid climates, Acta Ecologica Sinica (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.09.005