Buffalo dung-inhabiting bacteria enhance the nutrient enrichment of soil and proximate contents of Foeniculum vulgare Mill

• Published in: Archives of microbiology 2020-11, Vol.202 (9), p.2461-2470
• Main Authors: Dhiman, Sandhya, Baliyan, Nitin, Maheshwari, Dinesh Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Cell Biology; Ecology; Life Sciences; Microbial Ecology; Microbiology; Original Paper
• ISSN: 0302-8933; 1432-072X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00203-020-01969-x

The present study was aimed to study the effect of bacteria inhabiting in buffalo dung on nutritional properties of soil and plant. Three beneficial bacteria Proteus mirabilis , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Enterobacter xiangfangensis were isolated from buffalo dung to evaluate for their effects individually as well as in consortium. The combined effect of P. mirabilis and P. aeruginosa showed a significant enhancement in different biological parameters of Foeniculum vulgare such as primary branch (99.32%), secondary branch (98.32%), number of umbels (87.62%), number of umbellets (99.85%), number of seeds (104.94%), grain yield (62.38%), biological yield (35.99%), and harvest index (19.48%). Consortium of these potent bacteria also enhanced proximate constituents such as total ash (49.79%), ether extract (63.06%), crude fibre (48.91%), moisture content (33.40%), dry matter (31.45%), acid insoluble ash (33.20%), and crude protein (40.73%). A highly significant correlation ( p  ≤ 0.01) was found between nitrogen ( r  = 0.97), phosphorous ( r  = 0.95), and potassium ( r  = 0.97) contents of soil. This research enhances the knowledge of the effect of plant growth-promoting bacteria on nutrient properties of soil and fennel which deliver a new index for healthier use in organic agricultural practices.