Response of Sugarcane Seed Plot to Microbial Inoculation by Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus and Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria

A field experiment was conducted for three consecutive years to study the effect of set treatment of Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus and PSB on seed yield, quality and saving of chemical N and P fertilizers for sugarcane seed plot. The set inoculation of Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus + PSB coupled with 75 % recommended N and 75 % recommended P2O5 significantly improved the growth, two eye bud-set yield and quality. Among fertilizer levels, 75 % recommended N and 75 % recommended P recorded the highest yield of two eye bud-sets (883.63 and 885.44 thousands/ha, respectively). Between the inoculation treatments, fresh planting material inoculated with Acetobacter recorded higher two eye bud-sets (858.96 thousands/ha) than the uninoculated planting material from previous-year Acetobacter inoculated plot (828.47 thousands/ha); however, they were statistically indistinguishable. Moreover, the higher population and activity of G. diazotrophicus were observed at 75 % recommended N and 75 % recommended P. Among various interactions, the interaction of 75 % N and inoculation treatment showed significantly highest Acetobacter count in cuttings (7.38 × 104). The available N and P status of soil at harvest was significantly influenced by different fertilizer levels (N and P levels), inoculation treatments and their interactions as well.