Effect of native strain of Azospirillum brasilense in the production of horticultural seedlings in semihydroponic system of culture in bag

Abstract

Azospirillum brasilense is a PGPR (Plant Growing Promoting Rhizobacteria) bacterium studied for its ability to promote plant growth. On the other hand, the cultivation of vegetables in soilless systems is becoming especially important, because of the significant decrease in land suitable for agriculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense on the production of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and basil (Ocimum bacilicum L.) in a semi-hydroponic culture system, which we call "bag cultivation". The trials were conducted with two treatments: 1. control (without inoculation) and 2. inoculated with Azospirillium brasilense. High levels of survival were obtained, and better-quality seedlings were observed in the inoculated treatments for the species of peppers, tomato and albahaca. It is concluded that the Pi8 strain of Azospirillum brasilense exerts a positive effect on the production of these three horticultural species grown in semihidroponic system in bag, so the inoculation of seeds of peppers, tomato and basil of the varieties tested can be considered a convenient tool to increase the production of seedlings