Influence of Different Microbial Strains and Their Consortia on Yield and Nutrient Uptake in Soybean Grown on Vertisol

The present field experiment was undertaken at Research Farm, Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani during kharif season of 2023. Ten different treatment combinations were used in the experiment which included different microbial cultures and their consortia i.e Rhizobium spp. + Bacillus megaterium (Consortia -I), Rhizobium spp. + Frateuria aurantia (Consortia-II), Rhizobium spp. + Thiobacillus thioxidans (Consortia-III), Rhizobium spp. + Pseudomonas strita (Consortia-IⅤ), Rhizobium spp. + Bacillus megaterium + Frateuria aurantia (Consortia-Ⅴ), Rhizobium spp. + Bacillus megaterium + Thiobacillus thioxidans (Consortia- ⅤI), Rhizobium spp. + Bacillus megaterium + Pseudomonas strita (Consortia- ⅤII) and control replicated thrice in RBD (Randomized Block Design). Seed treatment of soybean was done with microbial consortia @ 10 ml kg -1 seed before sowing with recommended dose of fertilizers. Among all the treatments, Rhizobium spp. + Bacillus megaterium + Frateuria aurantia (Consortia- Ⅴ) higher seed and straw yield of soybean (1863.26 and 2999.84 kg ha -1 respectively). Furthermore, total uptake of NPK was found significantly higher (130.65, 24.71 and 57.81 kg ha -1) with consortia -V. Study concludes that recommended dose of fertilizers with microbial consortia helped in improving yield and nutrient content in plants and seeds of soybean grown in Vertisol. It emphasises the use of microbial inoculants—which are economical and environmentally friendly than synthetic fertilisers, which have detrimental effects on the soil and environment, this research is significant for sustainable agriculture.