Effect of FZB 24®<i>Bacillus subtilis</i>as a biofertilizer on cotton yields in field tests

Abstract In 2004, two field trials with cotton were conducted at two locations in Tajikistan to estimate the effectiveness of FZB 24® Bacillus subtilis (ABiTEP GmbH Berlin) as a biofertilizer for increasing the cotton yield in comparison to the utilization of the conventional fertilizer containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), with an application rate per ha 180 kg N, 120 kg P, 60 kg K. The following treatments of cotton cultivated as test variants each on 1 ha field under the same conditions were carried out and the effect on the plant growth, the development of number of bolls/plant and mainly the cotton fibre yield were calculated: (i) Seed treatment with water and only crop application of the NPK fertilizer; (ii) Only seed treatment with spore suspension of FZB 24 WG Bacillus subtilis, without application of the NPK fertilizer; (iii) Seed treatment with spore suspension of FZB 24 WG Bacillus subtilis plus crop application of the NPK fertilizer; and (iv) Only seed treatment with the comparable plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria product Extrasol 55 (ARRIAM St Petersburg), without application of the fertilizer. Comparing cotton growth and yield of the variants in both field tests, there appeared a remarkable yield and growth increase (up to 30%) by the use of FZB 24 alone compared to the application of the NPK fertilizer. The additional application of the NPK fertilizer (Variant: FZB 24 + NPK) could not enlarge this plant productivity-promoting effect. Apparently under the test conditions the increase of the root system in size and capacity as well as the additional enzymatic mobilizing of organic bound phosphorus for the plant as activities from the Bacillus subtilis introduction was more important for the plant system than the limited direct input with N, P and K. The plant treatment alone with Extrasol 55 resulted in similar promotion of cotton growth and yield as FZB 24 when compared with the NPK plant fertilizing, showing that the activity of FZB 24 was not very specific. However the cotton field tests generally demonstrate for FZB 24 Bacillus subtilis a high ability to improve plant growth and yield based on increasing the capacity of roots to mobilize and take up nutrients and substances for overall reproductive plant fitness. The use and value for part-substitutions of some environmentally problematical mineral fertilizers in other and intensive plant production systems is discussed.