Assessment of two Biofertilizers under two Crop Combination on Microbial Population and Plant Growth in South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Biofertilizers are becoming increasingly popular in many countries and for many crops, but very few studies on their microbial population and early plant growth in sandy loam soil have been conducted. Therefore, this research evaluated two different biofertilizers: treated Ageratum specie and Crotoloria specie in the Soil Science Department Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam Anambra State, Nigeria during 2016 cropping seasons in the growth chamber of the Faculty of Agriculture, using two different test crops (Moringa and Tomato) which was laid out in complete randomized block (CRD). The experiments were conducted in pots with dimension of 17cm × 19cm in length and depth. The bottoms portions of the pots were uniformly perforated for proper aeration. Ten seeds were planted after which they were thinned down to 8 seedlings 10 DAP, later, the remaining 2seedlings were harvested 60 DAP to evaluate the biomass production in each stage respectively. Significant biomass and soil microbial population increase due to biofertilizer use were observed in all experimental treatments. The biofertilizer effect on Moringa and tomato growth did not significantly differ. Nevertheless, positive effects of the biofertilizers occurred on the biological properties. However, the trends in these results seem to indicate that biofertilizers might be most helpful in rainfed environments. However, for use in these target environments, biofertilizers need to be evaluated under conditions with abiotic stresses typical of such systems such as drought, soil acidity, or low soil fertility.