The influence of biocarrier of Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum toward vegetative growth of sorghum in the field experiment

Abstract

Compared to other cereal crops, sorghum has a higher drought tolerance trait. However, efforts are needed to increase the productivity of sorghum, particularly in drought marginal land. One strategy to be implemented is the utilization of soil microorganisms formulated with biocarrier. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the fungal strain Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum formulated with compost and zeolite as biocarrier towards vegetative growth of sorghum. The field experiment was designed as a randomized block designed, factorial pattern with 4 replications. The first factor was selecting biocarrier, namely zeolite, compost, and a mixture of zeolite: compost (1:1). The second factor was the fungal inoculants, A. niger, and T. harzianum. The observed parameter was the growth profile of sorghum during vegetative growth, including stalk diameter and height. The results showed that the type of biocarrier, as well as the fungal strains did influence the growth of sorghum. The highest stalk diameter and height of sorghum were obtained after application of A. niger formulated with a mixture of zeolite: compost (1:1), with 17% and 41.2% higher than control, respectively. This condition shows that a mixture of zeolite and compost is seemingly able to create better micro-ecological conditions for fungal microbes to function effectively. Therefore, our findings suggested the addition of zeolite to compost for the application of biocarrier in the field experiment.

Influence of AM fungi inoculation on Capsicum annuum L. plant grown in microwave-sterilized media

“…According to previous research, bacteria have a role in hyphae growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi's mycorrhizal ability on host plants [11,12]. There are bacteria and fungi in compost that can stimulate growth directly and increase plant growth through various mechanisms, including phosphate dissolution and the production of plant growth hormones such as auxins [13,14,15].…”

Growth and Yield Comparison of Rice Plants Treated with Encapsulated Trichoderma asperellum (UPM 40) in Response to Drought Stress

“…Evidently, Trichoderma is applied in many kinds of cereal, such as Triticum aestivum L., Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek and Sorghum bicolor shows an improved drought response by plants (Kaur & Kumar, 2020;Shukla et al, 2014;Sugiharto et al, 2020). Favorable activities ascribed to the Trichoderma-plant interactions include induced disease resistance, plant growth promotion, and tolerance to abiotic stresses (Harman et al, 2004).…”

Aspergillus niger Fermentation Broth Promotes Maize Germination and Alleviates Low Phosphorus Stress

“…Several studies have previously reported that A. tubingensis , A. Niger , and A. Niger strains ITCB-09 exhibited a high capacity to dissolve inorganic phosphates, including through the production of organic acids [ 4 , 22 ]. In recent years, there have been many reports regarding the use of fungal microbial fertilizers; for example, to promote the vegetative growth of sorghum by inoculating soil with A. niger through means of bio-carriers [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Additionally, there have been reports of microorganisms that utilize fermentation processes to produce organic acids [ 27 ].…”