Screening and Application of PSB for Rice Production in Acidic Soil

Phosphate predominantly present as inorganic compounds, which are either calcium or iron and aluminum salts. Iron and aluminum phosphates predominate under acidic condition. The low availability of P to plants is because the vast majority of soil P is found in insoluble forms .Thus, the release of insoluble and fixed forms of phosphorus is an important aspect of increasing soil phosphorus availability.Plant root-associated phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) have been considered as one of the possible alternatives for inorganic phosphate fertilizers for promoting plant growth and yield. Considering the above stated role of bacteria for P solubilization in acid soils of Bangladesh, the present work was therefore undertaken with the following objectives: To isolate some rhizoplane bacteria from the roots of rice plants and screening potential phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PBS) from the isolates; To quantify P solubilization from tricalcium phosphate by potential PSB in broth culture conditions; and To see the performances of potential PSB on growth and nutrients content of rice in acidic soil of Bangladesh.