Abstract
Soil degradation and poor fertility are major concerns in semi-arid regions of India. Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) have demonstrated potential in mitigating abiotic and biotic stresses in these areas. However, the studies on the impact of EPS on crop performance and soil fertility under natural field conditions remain limited. To address this knowledge gap, a field experiment was conducted during the rainy season of 2019-20 and 2020-21 at ICAR-NIASM, Baramati, Maharashtra, to examine the effects of microbial EPS on average crop yields of soybean and maize, microbial colonization status in soybean and maize, and soil fertility parameters in basaltic soils of India. Seeds inoculated with Rhizobium or nitrogen fixers and 10 kg ha-1 EPS resulted in a significant increase in soybean and maize yields by 57.7% and 44.8%, respectively, compared to the control. Additionally, the Rhizobium treated seeds with EPS 10 kg ha-1 showed improvements in soil organic carbon, dehydrogenase activity, and nitrogen content by 15.5%, 214.5%, and 70.0%, respectively, in soybean compared to the control. Conversely, the application of microbial EPS did not cause any significant change in soil pH, E.C., or available P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn contents in both crops. While the presence of EPS within the rhizosphere of soybean actively promoted nodule formation, it also enhanced microbial colonization within the rhizosphere of both soybean and maize. Moreover, the best subset regression analysis revealed that EPS altered the soil parameters for the yield of both crops. The findings of this study suggest that EPS treatment, in combination with Rhizobium or nitrogen fixers, can significantly enhance crop yield, promote nodule formation in soybean, and improve microbial colonization within the rhizosphere of both soybean and maize. These results highlight the potential of microbial EPS as a viable and sustainable solution to address soil degradation and poor fertility in semi-arid regions of India.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobium inoculation plus EPS increased soybean yield by 57.7% against control.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe0 - Treatment
- Rhizobium or nitrogen fixers and 10 kg ha-1 EPSe0
- Outcome
- soybean and maize yieldse0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 57.7%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
RhizobiumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seeds inoculated with Rhizobium or nitrogen fixers and 10 kg ha-1 EPS resulted in a significant increase in soybean and maize yields by 57.7% and 44.8%, respectively, compared to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen fixer inoculation plus EPS increased maize yield by 44.8% against control.
- Treatment
- nitrogen fixers and 10 kg ha-1 EPSe0
- Interactor
- nitrogen fixerse0symbiont
- Outcome
- soybean and maize yieldse0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Value
- 44.8%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seeds inoculated with Rhizobium or nitrogen fixers and 10 kg ha-1 EPS resulted in a significant increase in soybean and maize yields by 57.7% and 44.8%, respectively, compared to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobium plus EPS increased soil organic carbon in soybean by 15.5%.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- Rhizobium treated seeds with EPS 10 kg ha-1e0
- Outcome
- soil organic carbone0
- Direction
- improvementse0
- Value
- 15.5%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rhizobium treated seeds with EPS 10 kg ha-1 showed improvements in soil organic carbon, dehydrogenase activity, and nitrogen content by 15.5%, 214.5%, and 70.0%, respectively, in soybean compared to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobium plus EPS increased soil dehydrogenase activity in soybean by 214.5%.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- Rhizobium treated seeds with EPS 10 kg ha-1e0
- Outcome
- dehydrogenase activitye0
- Direction
- improvementse0
- Value
- 214.5%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rhizobium treated seeds with EPS 10 kg ha-1 showed improvements in soil organic carbon, dehydrogenase activity, and nitrogen content by 15.5%, 214.5%, and 70.0%, respectively, in soybean compared to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobium plus EPS increased soil nitrogen content in soybean by 70.0%.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- Rhizobium treated seeds with EPS 10 kg ha-1e0
- Outcome
- nitrogen contente0
- Direction
- improvementse0
- Value
- 70.0%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rhizobium treated seeds with EPS 10 kg ha-1 showed improvements in soil organic carbon, dehydrogenase activity, and nitrogen content by 15.5%, 214.5%, and 70.0%, respectively, in soybean compared to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS did not significantly change soil pH, E.C. or available P in soybean.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe1
- Treatment
- microbial EPSe0
- Outcome
- soil pH, E.C., or available Pe0
- Direction
- did not cause any significant changee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of microbial EPS did not cause any significant change in soil pH, E.C., or available P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn contents in both crops”
e1“average crop yields of soybean and maize”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS did not significantly change soil available K, Fe and Mn in soybean.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe1
- Treatment
- microbial EPSe0
- Outcome
- K, Fe, Mne0
- Direction
- did not cause any significant changee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of microbial EPS did not cause any significant change in soil pH, E.C., or available P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn contents in both crops”
e1“average crop yields of soybean and maize”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS did not significantly change soil available Zn in soybean.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe1
- Treatment
- microbial EPSe0
- Outcome
- Zn contentse0
- Direction
- did not cause any significant changee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of microbial EPS did not cause any significant change in soil pH, E.C., or available P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn contents in both crops”
e1“average crop yields of soybean and maize”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS did not significantly change soil pH, E.C. or available P in maize.
- Treatment
- microbial EPSe0
- Outcome
- soil pH, E.C., or available Pe0
- Direction
- did not cause any significant changee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of microbial EPS did not cause any significant change in soil pH, E.C., or available P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn contents in both crops”
e1“average crop yields of soybean and maize”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS did not significantly change soil available K, Fe and Mn in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of microbial EPS did not cause any significant change in soil pH, E.C., or available P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn contents in both crops”
e1“average crop yields of soybean and maize”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS did not significantly change soil available Zn in maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“application of microbial EPS did not cause any significant change in soil pH, E.C., or available P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn contents in both crops”
e1“average crop yields of soybean and maize”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS in soybean rhizosphere promoted nodule formation.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- EPSe0
- Outcome
- nodule formatione0
- Direction
- promotede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“presence of EPS within the rhizosphere of soybean actively promoted nodule formation”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS enhanced microbial colonization in soybean rhizosphere.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- EPSe1
- Outcome
- microbial colonizatione0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it also enhanced microbial colonization within the rhizosphere of both soybean and maize”
e1“presence of EPS within the rhizosphere of soybean”
Claim · model-written summary
EPS enhanced microbial colonization in maize rhizosphere.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it also enhanced microbial colonization within the rhizosphere of both soybean and maize”
e1“presence of EPS within the rhizosphere of soybean”
Claim · model-written summary
Subset regression indicated that EPS altered soil parameters related to crop yield.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe1
- Treatment
- EPSe0
- Outcome
- soil parameters for the yielde0
- Direction
- alterede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“best subset regression analysis revealed that EPS altered the soil parameters for the yield of both crops”
e1“average crop yields of soybean and maize”
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