Statistical analyses and comparative efficacy of a consortium of multi-species bacilli over single-species inoculants on growth and yield promotion of soybean plants in nutrient-deficient soil

Abstract Across the world, the versatile crop soybean, Glycine max (L) Meril., is widely exploited for diversified use as a rich source of edible oil, protein-rich human food, animal feed, and even raw materials for industries. Through biological N-fixation with its indigenous nitrogen (N)-fixing symbionts, and its synergism with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, this miraculous legume contributes to soil N and phosphate for sustainable agriculture. Globally, agricultural lands are heavily impacted by tremendous pressure to meet the accelerating food demand for the world’s burgeoning population leading to soil health degradation. The application of plant growth-promoting microbes has emerged as a positive approach to upgrading the productivity of damaged soil. However, in this arena, few studies have been undertaken in West Bengal on nutrient-depleted lands as a nature-friendly low-budget cultivation strategy. At this juncture, the current investigation explored and compared the impact of soil augmentation with single-strain and multi-strain bio-inoculants of three previously reported novel plant growth-promoting bacilli strains, isolated from the native microbiome of the experimental soil itself, on growth and yield promotion of soybean plants. The most noteworthy finding was that soil amendment concomitantly with the three-strain bacilli consortium and vermicompost showed the most remarkable impact compared to the single-strain inoculants concerning the majority growth and yield parameters examined, indicating enrichment of the treated soil’s health. This unique soil augmentation strategy can be practiced to upgrade plant productivity in reclaimed arable lands growing Glycine max (L.) Meril. as an intercrop.