Response of Cedrela fissilis Vell. to inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in nurseries

Abstract

Genus Cedrela occurs naturally from Mexico to Argentina, and Cedrela fissilis wood is particularly of great economic interest. However, its uncontrolled exploitation and the expansion of agricultural activities have caused a drastic decrease in its population. Enriching forests with this species can increase its availability in the future. When producing C. fissilis in nurseries, root system development is essential, and there exist growth-promoting rhizobacteria that are capable of stimulating plant growth. The objective of this work was to determine C. fissilis response to inoculation with two growth-promoting rhizobacteria in a nursery. Thus, 1 liter pots were sown, using a substrate composed of soil and mulch, treated with a slow release fertilizer. Twenty-five days after sowing, each plant was inoculated with 10 ml of Bacillus
amyloliquefaciens and Pseudomonas fluorescens, following a completely randomized design. The treatments were T0: control inoculated with distilled water; T1: plants inoculated with B. amyloliquefaciens; and T2: plants inoculated with P. fluorescens. Five months after inoculation, the following variables were analyzed: neck diameter, height of aerial part, and dry weight of aerial part and roots. An analysis of variance and Fisher’s LSD test (α = 0.05) were performed
and revealed significant differences in the four evaluated variables when comparing individuals inoculated with P. fluorescens with the rest. These results suggest that C. fissilis seedlings could be invigorated by inoculating them with
bacteria such as P. fluorescens.