Endophytic Strains of Bacteria in the Technology of Corn Cultivation for Grain

Abstract

The study of the effect of endophytic bacterial strains on the formation of the general habitus of the corn plant during the growing season, as well as the effect on grain yield, was carried out in the conditions of the Ancestral region of the Republic of Tatarstan in 2022-2023. The soil of the experimental site was represented by a subtype of gray forest, the variety was heavy loamy. Endophytic bacterial strains were used in corn crops in the form of leaf dressing with a rate of 1.0 l/ha during the growing season in the 7-8 leaf phase. The technology of cultivation of corn for grain was generally accepted for the Republic of Tatarstan. A two-factor experiment was laid: hybrids (factor A) - early maturing Nur and ROSS-195, mid-early ‒ Krasnodarskiy-230; preparations of endophytic bacterial strains (factor B) - without application (control), KS-25, KS-31, KS-38, KS-54, Consortium and PS-17 (standard). The years of research were characterized as moderately arid in terms of climatic conditions. The preparations had a positive effect on the height of plants, above-ground mass and leaf area, which were determined in the phases of paniculation, cob formation and milk ripeness. The Nur hybrid responded positively to the treatment of crops with preparations KS-25, KS-38 and KS-54, the ROSS-195 hybrid - Consortium, KS-31 and KS-38, Krasnodarskiy-230 - KS-31 and KS-54. The highest aboveground mass in the experiment in the milk ripeness phase of the Nur hybrid was noted in the variant with KS-38 (48.25 t/ha), in the ROSS-195 and Krasnodarskiy-230 hybrids ‒ with KS-54 (67.38 and 58.25 t/ha, respectively). The largest leaf area was observed in the cob formation phase of the Nur hybrid when used in the KS-31 variants, in the ROSS-195 and Krasnodarskiy-230 hybrids when treated with the Consortium preparation. The grain yield of the Nur hybrid in variants with the PS-17, KS-38 and KS-25 preparations increased by 9.6…27.6%, the ROSS-195 hybrid when sprayed with KS-38 and KS ‒ by 15.3…19.7%, the Krasnodarskiy-230 hybrid when using KS-25, KS-54 and PS-17 ‒ by 9.0…28.1%. Preparations with endophytic bacterial strains increased the protein content in the hybrid grain by 0.15…0.73%.