Co-Inoculation of Trichoderma asperellum with Bacillus subtilis to Promote Growth and Nutrient Absorption in Marandu Grass

Abstract

The authors have investigated the effects of different doses of mineral fertilizers combined with co-inoculation of Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma asperellum to promote plant growth and use efficient nutrients in a plant Urochloa (Syn. Brachiaria) brizantha cv. Marandu. Individual experiments with doses of the nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were carried out. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, factorial 3 × 5. With the treatments: control noninoculation, inoculation with Bacillus subtilisUFRA-92, and coinoculation (MIX) with T. asperellum (UFRA-06, UFRA-09, UFRA-12, and UFRA-52) + B. subtilis x nutrient omissions (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). Each treatment had five replications. Biometric parameters, nutrient content, and nutrient use efficiency were evaluated. The results showed that the inoculants promoted growth in Marandu grass. The use of inoculants promoted growth and increased N, P, and K uptake by Marandu grass. Co-inoculation changed leaf area, shoot length, elongation rate, and leaf appearance for N and K and root dry mass for P. In addition, the co-inoculation combined with doses of 75% of N, 50% of P, and 50% of K increased the nutritional content of the leaves by 256% of N, 280% of P, and 29% of K and provided greater agronomic efficiency, with increments of 462% of N, 544% of P, and 177% of K, compared to the control treatment. We present the potential of co-inoculation of B. subtilis and T. asperellum to promote the growth of Urochloa under reduced fertilizer application. There was an improvement in plant growth and nutrient use efficiency.

Combining Fully Acidulated Phosphates with Phosphate-Solubilizing Microorganisms for Urochloa brizantha Fertilization

“…A study investigating the combined effects of chemical fertilizer doses and co-inoculated microorganisms on promoting growth and nutrient efficiency in Marandu grass demonstrated that inoculation with microorganisms, along with 50% of the recommended phosphorus dose, resulted in increased grass growth [37], which is consistent with the findings of the present study. This approach could offer a valuable solution to address the issue of low productivity and profitability in Brazilian livestock systems that are often associated with inadequate pasture management practices [11].…”

Bio-fungicidal impact of volatile and non-volatile compounds from Bacillus paramycoides for the management of Trichoderma-induced green mold on mushrooms

“…This was evident from wet and dry biomass analysis compared to control sample (Supplementary Table 1). Further, the cocultivation of T. harzianum and B. velezensis improved the mineral fertilizer availability in Urochloa brizantha leading to increased plant growth has also been reported (Costa et al 2022). Additionally, the combination of these two organisms can improve nutrient availability, stimulate phytohormone production, and carbohydrate levels in tomatoes (Zhou et al 2021).…”

Trichoderma afroharzianumT22 induces rhizobia and flavonoid through systemic signaling to combat Fe deficiency in garden pea

“…So far, there is a lack of well-documented interaction between T22 and rhizobia in scientific literature. However, it is known that Trichoderma can enhance the activities of beneficial bacteria such as Pseudomonas or Bacillus, which contribute to improved plant health and nutrient uptake (Poveda et al 2022;da Costa et al 2022). Trichoderma species are known to produce a variety of metabolites that can play a role in shaping the composition and dynamics of soil or rhizosphere bacterial communities, influencing overall ecosystem health and plant-microbe interactions (Gao et al 2023).…”