Assessment of Shelf-life and Efficacy of the Seed-Coating Delivery System of Biofertilizers in Maize

Film-coating of seeds is a widely accepted technology in agriculture for effectively protecting germinating and seedlings against biotic abiotic stresses successfully delivering agro-chemicals, biomolecules, bio-inoculants to the rhizosphere region. The present experiments explored possibility using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) dextrin as film-coating agents impregnating maize seed with four different biofertilizer strains. Azospirillum brasilense (Sp7), Bacillus megaterium var phosphaticum (Pb1), Paenibacillus mucilaginosus (KRB9), Pseudomonas chlororaphis (ZSB15) were prepared consortium containing an equimolar ratio each strain. vitro growth experiment revealed that HPMC, dextrin, or combination both did not affect all biofertilizers. When was film-coated on HPMC /binding agents, no apparent changes observed size, shape, weight, volume seeds. shelf-life study microbial inoculants accounted one-log reduction (from 104 cells at initial 103 after 3 months) when stored low temperature. pre-coated microbial-inoculants showed significant improvement seedling growth. Hence, could be effective delivery system ensuring colonization biofertilizers sustainable cultivation.