Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Pseudomonas fluorescence Bacterium on the Ear Traits, Chlorophyll Content and Yield of Zea Maize under Moisture Stress Conditions

In order to evaluate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and Pseudomonas flourescence on ear traits, chlorophyll content and yield of maize under moisture stress condition, an experiment was conducted as split-split plot arrangement based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments consisted of two levels of irrigation: irrigation after 60 and 120 mm evaporation from class A evaporation pan; combination of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Pseudomonas flourescence at four levels and phosphate chemical fertilizer at three levels. In this study some characteristics such as grain yield, total dry weight of plant, total number of grain per ear, ear dry weight, cob dry weight, husk dry weight, ear length, seed abortion, ear diameter, cob diameter, grain depth, grain percent, cob percent, leaf chlorophyll content of ear and root colonization percent were assessed. Analysis of variance of data showed that the effects of irrigation levels, levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus-Pseudomonas flourescence and phosphate fertilizer levels in all traits except grain depth, grain percent and cob percent were significant. At the levels of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus-Pseudomonas flourescence bacterium, maximum amount of all traits except grain percent age and cob percent age were related to co-application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and phosphate solubilizing bacterium. In addition, under normal irrigation and mild drought stress conditions a synergistic relationship between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and Pseudomonas flourescence on most of investigated traits were observed. Also, the results of interaction between phosphate fertilizer and phosphate solubilizing microorganisms showed that efficiency of super phosphate triple fertilizer with phosphate solubilizing microorganisms on investigated traits was more than that of rock phosphate.