Effect of Bio-inoculants Seed Treatment on Growth and Yield of Wheat in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India

Wheat has been an integral food crop since human civilization. The crop has multiple roles in food system and consumed in a several ways i.e. chapati, bread, biscuit, cake etc. For effective, quality and sufficient productivity, crop nutrition must be ensured. Addition of bio-fertilizers are the cheapest source of crop nutrition as well as sustainable management practice. Hence, to evaluate the effectiveness of different bio-inoculants a field experiment was conducted to on biofertilizers seed treatments and its combinations effect on the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the rabi season. The study included seed inoculation with different biofertilizers such as T1: control plot, T2: Trichoderma at 10g kg-1 seed, T3: Azotobactor at 10ml kg-1 seed, T4: PSB (Phosphate solubilizing bacteria) at 10ml kg-1 seed, T5: KSB (Potassium solubilizing bacteria) at 10ml kg-1 seed, T6: ZSB (Zinc solubilizing bacteria) at 10 ml kg-1 seed. The results revealed that biofertilizer application significantly influenced growth parameters including plant height, number of tillers, dry matter accumulation, and crop growth rate. Yield attributes such as number of spikes m⁻², spike length, and grains spike⁻¹ were also significantly improved compared with the control. Among the treatments, seed treatment with ZSB at 10 ml kg⁻¹ seed recorded the highest growth and yield attributes, resulting in greater grain (1333.3 kg ha-1) and straw yield (2500 kg ha-1). The highest gross return (₹ 66,666), net return (₹ 35393), and benefit–cost (2.13) ratio were recorded under seed treatment with ZSB at 10 ml kg⁻¹ seed (T6), which can be attributed from its superior growth and yield attributes. The improvement in crop performance may be attributed to enhanced nutrient solubilization, improved nutrient uptake, and increased microbial activity in the rhizosphere. The findings suggest that biofertilizer application can be an effective and sustainable strategy for improving the growth and productivity of wheat.