AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF SUGARCANE INOCULATED WITH Nitrospirillum amazonense (BR11145)

Abstract

Sugarcane cultivation areas are usually characterized by low soil fertility and high nutrient demand, especially for nitrogen. Technologies that can raise crop yield and lower the use of pesticides and fertilizers are among the main needs of this crop. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic performance of sugarcane after in-furrow application of the diazotrophic bacterium Nitrospirillum amazonense (BR11145). The treatments consisted of applying five doses of N. amazonense-based product to the planting furrow, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 L commercial product (c.p.) ha-1; a treatment consisting of the combination of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis; one control without fertilization; and one control with fertilization. Based on the results obtained from the pooled analysis of two field experiments, the N. amazonense-based product improved the growth parameters of sugarcane plants, and at doses of 1.0 and 1.5 L c.p. ha-1, these benefits resulted in a significant increase in yield and in the amount of sugar per hectare. Inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria can benefit sugarcane, especially because it promotes the growth and yield of the crop similarly to fertilizers.

Influence of Azospirillum brasilense on micro-propagated sugarcane seedlings

“…Fertilization is an essential step for promising crop development, where an indispensable nutrient is nitrogen (N) (Reis et al, 2020), responsible for a high input cost in grasses with the recommendation of 180 kg/ha -1 for 100 mg/ha -1 of produced stalks (Martins et al, 2020;Singh et al, 2020). Nitrogen absorption by plants depends on its slow mineralization and the other processes limiting its availability in the soil, such as lixiviation, volatilization, and denitrification, representing significant fertilizer losses for farmers.…”