Enhancement of vegetative parameters of brinjal in proplates by the application of bacterial endophytes- Azospirillum brasilense and Pseudomonas fluorescens

An experiment was carried out with endophytic fixing bacteria Azospirillum brasilense and Pseudomonas fluorescens isolated from brinjal, in different combinations with inorganic fertilizers by seed inoculation of brinjal to observe preliminary vegetative growth at 15th and 30th day and pigment contents in vegetable nursery bed (proplates). A total number of 28 endophytic bacteria isolated from brinjal from three localities (Annamalai University, Karaikal and Putthur). Further the isolates were subjected to various biochemical tests for their species level identification and nitrogen fixing ability was estimated. Based upon their N-fixing ability and IAA production, two strains, one Azospirillum sp. and one Pseudomonas sp. isolate was selected and tested for its performance in brinjal. The seeds treated with 75% Chemical fertilizer + Azospirillum brasilense + Pseudomonas fluorescens (T6) showed maximum plant vegetative characters, followed by others compared with control.