Priestia aryabhattai NVC-CMB3 as a sustainable biofertilizer enhancing baby maize yield and nitrogen use efficiency

Excessive reliance on mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizers in baby maize production raises concerns about soil degradation, low nitrogen use efficiency, and environmental sustainability. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the indigenous rhizobacterium Priestia aryabhattai strain NVC-CMB3 as a bio-input for improving soil fertility and crop performance under field conditions. A two-factor factorial experiment was conducted with bacterial inoculation, with and without strain NVC-CMB3, and four N fertilizer rates: 0, 175, 262.5, and 350 kg ha⁻¹. Soil chemical properties, agronomic traits, yield components, and nutrient composition of edible cobs were assessed. Inoculation with strain NVC-CMB3 significantly increased soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and exchangeable potassium compared with non-inoculated treatments. Improvements in plant height and chlorophyll content were also observed, indicating positive effects on crop growth. However, nitrogen fertilizer rate remained the dominant factor influencing biomass accumulation, yield components, and nutritional quality, with higher nitrogen inputs consistently producing the highest values. Bacterial inoculation moderately improved some yield-related traits but had limited effects on nutritional composition. Overall, the results indicate that strain NVC-CMB3 can support soil fertility and crop performance and may serve as a complementary input in integrated nutrient management strategies, rather than as a substitute for mineral nitrogen fertilizer in baby maize production systems.