Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria and kinetin as ways to promote corn growth and yield in a short-growing-season area

摘要

In field trials in 1996-97 in Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada, maize cv. Pioneer 3978 and sweetcorn cv. Combo were soil inoculated with the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Serratia proteamaculans 1-102 or Serratia liquefaciens [S. liquefasciens] 2-68 and seed treated with 0, 1 or 5μM kinetin. PGPR stimulated seedling emergence more than kinetin. One month after sowing, both PGPR and kinetin increased plant growth, with PGPR strain 2-68 resulted in greater growth than strain 1-102.PGPR strain 2-68 plus 1μM kinetin was the best treatment for promoting plant growth. The plant height and root dry weight of sweetcorn were less affected than those of maize. The effects of PGPR on plant growth decreased as the plants developed. Two months after sowing, there were no effects of kinetin on plant growth; however, PGPR still had positive effects on the leaf area of maize, but decreased the leaf area of sweetcorn. The plant dry weight of maize was increased by PGPR strain 2-68. Maize yield was increased by PGPR strain 2-68 in both years. In 1997, PGPR strain 2-68 increased the sweetcorn yield. Kinetin alone had no effects on yields in either year.