The Impact of Pseudomonas putidaand Azotobacterchroococcum Bio-Fertilizers on Seed Germination of Calendula Officinalis L.'s Takii andLittle Ball Varieties

Toevaluate the effect of inoculation of bacteria Pseudomonas and Azotobacter on seed germination and seedling growth ofTakii and Little Ball varieties of Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.), an experiment with organic agriculture aims was carried out in 2009. The seeds were sterilized by NaClO1% andbacteria solutions were diluted with water at a ratio of 1 to 5. The seeds were then inoculated with the treatments. The experiment included the following treatments: the seeds inoculated with Pseudomonas putida strain 1, P. Putida strain 2, Azotobacterchroococcumstrain 1, A. chroococcum strain 2 and some of their combinations. The inoculated seeds were kept in germinator with 24˚С temperature and 16h light for 3 weeks. During this period, the seeds were irrigated with distilled water and the required factors were recorded on a daily basis. The evaluated traits included: the percentage and rate of germination, wet and dry weight of the plantlet, the length of the shootlet, rootlet, and plantlet, and the vigor index.Results indicated that the application of P. Putida strain 2 was more effective forthe rate and percentage of germination on Calendula seeds than the other treatments. According to the results, the application of two strains ofA. chroococcumon Takii variety increased the length of rootlet and plantlet significantly. Furthermore, analyzing the interaction effect and the impact of the varieties, it was observed that the Takii V. was best variety in almost indices rather than Little Ball V. and can be effective and useful for better germination and growth of the plantlet.