Agro-morphological Differential Expression between Maize and Soybean Crops under Rhizobacteria and/or Foliar Bio-fertilizer Treatments

<ns5:p> Background The differential response of maize and soybean to plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and foliar biofertilizers remains insufficiently characterized in arid tropical soils. In this study, we investigated the agro-morphological responses of maize ( <ns5:italic>Zea mays</ns5:italic> L.) and soybean ( <ns5:italic>Glycine max</ns5:italic> L.) to rhizobacteria ( <ns5:italic>Pseudomonas fluorescens</ns5:italic> and <ns5:italic>Bradyrhizobium</ns5:italic> sp.) and foliar biofertilizer treatments under arid soil conditions. Methods The growth parameters assessed included stem diameter, plant height, leaf number, and leaf length across four treatments: untreated control (T0), rhizobacteria alone (T1), rhizobacteria plus foliar bio-fertilizer (T2), and foliar bio-fertilizer alone (T3). Results Comparative analyses revealed significant baseline differences between maize and soybean for all parameters, with maize exhibiting superior diameter and height growth and soybean showing higher leaf number but shorter leaf length. Differential treatment effects highlighted that T1 and T2 substantially enhanced maize diameter and height relative to T0, whereas soybean responded more strongly to leaf number in T3. Fisher’s exact tests supported these trends, indicating variable but treatment-dependent differential expression patterns between crops. Overall, rhizobacteria-based treatments (T1 and T2) predominantly improved maize growth, whereas foliar fertilization (T3) had a greater influence on soybean leaf development. Conclusion These results highlight a distinct species-specific responsiveness, with maize being more sensitive to microbial stimulation and soybean benefiting primarily from foliar nutrient input. These findings support the development of crop-specific biofertilization strategies tailored to nutrient-poor arid soils in northern Cote d’Ivoire (West Africa). </ns5:p>