Comparative phosphate solubilizing efficiency of psychrotolerant Pseudomonas jesenii MP1 and Acinetobacter sp ST02 against chickpea for sustainable hill agriculture

Phosphorus (P) is an important plant nutrient for agricultural production. Adding phosphorus fertilizer to the soil not only increases the cost but also create environmental destruction. Therefore, the use of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) could be an eco-friendly approach for sustainable agricultural development. Large scale field trial study was conducted to explore inherent phosphate solubilizing potential of Himalayan psychrotrophic bacterial strains Pseudomonas jesenii MP1 and Acinetobacter sp. ST02 against native chickpea to achieve agricultural sustainability in traditional mountain agro-ecosystems. Both the strainsMP1 and STO2 were able to solubilise a maximum of 398.14gmL(-1) and 329.9gmL(-1) of P, respectively. Besides enhancing Chickpea seed germination of 92% (MP1) and 85% (STO2); both have shown a significant increment in plant agronomical as well as biochemical parameters with respect to their respective controls. The maximum grain yield of 26.23kg and harvesting index 55.69 was observed for MP1 along with 40 Kg P2O5 ha(-1) thereby, indicating the use of bio-inoculants with recommended dose of phosphate fertilizers to promote crop production. Further, contrary to chemical phosphatic fertilizers, they need to apply only once in the field and persist till the end of crop maturity. In the present scenario, they can be explored as natural P resource for high altitude agriculture; therefore, additional impetus in their bio-formulation will be a step forward towards sustainable hill agriculture systems and holistic growth.