Effect of potassium-solublizing bacteria biofertilizer on yield and yield components of wheat in comparison to chemical potassium fertilizer application

The use of potassium solublizing bacteria (KSB) in soils containing an accumulation of insoluble and non-absorbable potassium by plants can help further solubility of these potassium mineral sources in the soil and thus the uptake of this element by the plant. Also, the application of KSB on the yield and yield components of wheat can prevent the overuse of potassium chemical fertilizers and instead predispose soil conditions for the development of plant nutrition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of application of KSB in comparison with the application of common potassium chemical fertilizers in the country's farms on quantitative and qualitative traits of wheat grain. To study the effect of application of KSB on the yield of wheat cultivars in southern Kerman, Iran, this experiments were performed over two years in the form of split plots in a randomized complete block with three replications in the research farm of Islamic Azad University of Jiroft in loamy sand soil. Various wheat cultivars including Chamran 2, Barat and Khalil were located in the main plot and sources and amounts of calcium were at four levels: 1. Control (without fertilizers) 2. Application of chemical sulfate potassium (at the rate of 200 kg / ha based on soil test results 3. Half of the recommended chemical fertilizer at the rate of 100 kg/ha + consumption of KSB from the source of Potabarvar biofertilizer at the rate of 100 g/ha 4. KSB (at the rate of 100 g/ha as the seed treatment), were placed in sub-plots. The results showed that wheat cultivars showed different reactions to different levels and sources of fertilizer during the two years of the study. The highest grain yield in Chamran 2 cultivar was obtained by applying KSB at the rate of 8 t/ha. Application of KSB alone in Khalil cultivar and application of potassium solfate along with KSB in Barat cultivar produced 7.49 and 7.6 tons of grain per hectare, respectively, Whithout significant different by 8 tons per hectare. Application of KSB could significantly improve grain yield, spike length, number of grains per spike, grain nitrogen percentage and grain protein percentage. The results showed that the applied KSB improved the quantitative and qualitative traits in wheat grain. Although the application of potassium sulfate based on soil test results also had an effective role to increase wheat traits, but it is suggested that in agriculture based on sustainability in agriculture, potassium biofertilizer should be used with half of the recommanded potassium sulfate fertilizer. In addition to reducing the consumption of chemical fertilizers, this can be effective in reducing wheat production costs and farm health.