Effect of Seed Inoculation with Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria on the Growth and Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Cultivated in a Sandy Soil

A pot experiment was conducted in the greenhouse to evaluate the response of wheat (Triticum aestivum var. Giza 168) to inoculation with 46 strains of free-living plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) isolated from the rhizospheric soils of six field crops in Suez Canal region, Egypt. The results showed that growth and yield of the wheat were enhanced by seed inoculation with PGPR. Significant increases in straw, grain and total (straw plus grain) yields were recorded with 35, 33 and 37 strains, respectively, out of the tested isolates. These increases over the control ranged from 33.9 to 70.6% for straw yield, from 26.5 to 57.3% for grain yield and from 27.6 to 64.5% for the total yield. The highest straw and grain yields were obtained with the strain Micrococcus roseus SW1 which was isolated from the rhizospheric soil of wheat. From the obtained results, it could be concluded that the use of the tested PGPR as biofertilizers in a sandy soil increased the growth and yield of wheat under greenhouse conditions. These PGPR are recommended for field evaluation before being generalized as biofertilizers.