Combined Application of Microbial Inoculation and Biochar to Mitigate Drought Stress in Wheat

Abstract

Drought stress spearheads the main factors threatening food security. Although many strategies might use for stress management, microbial inoculation with plant growth promoting bacterias (PGPBs) which have ACC deaminase activity and biochar amendment which is an effective way to increase soil carbon stock, improve soil physiological and biological properties are sustainable and easy- applicable methods. The experiment was laid out in a 3x10 factorial design with three replications under controlled conditions in 2020. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of microbial inoculation (MI: TV24C + TV126C + TV61C) and biochar amendments (1%BC, 2%BC and 4%BC) on growth of wheat seedlings under different irrigation levels (IL1: 80%, IL2: %50 and IL3: 25%). While biochar applications and microbial inoculation backed up to plants to alleviate drought stress, most effective results were obtained with combined applications of them. The combined application of 4% biochar+microbial inoculation increased plant height, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root fresh weight and root dry weight up to 28.3%, 56.8%, 72.2%, 141.3% and 112.8% compared with control plants while it improved them up to 4.9%, 10.3%, 16.6%, 21.1% and 40.3% compared with optimum synthetic fertilizer under drought conditions, respectively. In conclusion, biochar applications with microbial inoculations can be considered as an effective method to cope with the destructive effects of drought.