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NOVOSIBIRSK, February 6 Biologists from Tomsk State University (TSU) have found a way to stimulate the growth of corn using beneficial bacteria and ultimately increase its yield by 1.7 times, the university said on Tuesday.
Corn is one of the ten most popular agricultural plants in Russia and the world. However, there are more than 200 types of pests and 28 types of pathogens that cause harm and reduce crop yields by up to 30%. Pesticides are used to control pests, which, despite their high efficiency, can negatively affect the environment, including the soil.
“TSU scientists have found a much more environmentally friendly way to protect plants. To increase the resistance of corn to various damaging factors, biologists use a mixture of beneficial bacteria from the genera Bacillus, Azotobacter, Lactoplantibacillus, Pseudomonas and yeast of the genus Saccharomyces,” the report says.
Scientists believe that the use of studied and tested communities of microorganisms will make it possible to use bacteria in environmentally friendly technologies for growing corn and obtain safe products free of pesticides.
«In the studies, we used several different compositions of bacteria and yeast. Two compositions showed the greatest efficiency compared to other options. Treatment of corn seeds with them contributed to an increase in the concentration of chlorophyll compared to the control option. An increase in chlorophyll, which is responsible for photosynthesis, has a positive effect on physiology and the immune system. protection of the plant, which ultimately leads to an increase in yield. The average weight of the cob was maximum in the variant with the treatment of corn seeds with one composition, however, when pre-sowing seeds were treated with the second composition, the number of cobs increased by 1.7 times,» said biologist Ivan Dubovsky .
The study, in which scientists found a way to use bacterial communities to improve soil microbiota and stimulate the growth of corn, was carried out within the framework of the federal scientific and technical program for the development of genetic technologies and supported by the national project «Science and Universities».