Growth and Yield Response of Upland Rice to Application of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria

This study evaluated the effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) isolates in enhancing upland rice growth and yield. Bacteria were isolated, screened for growth-promoting activities in vitro, biochemically identified, and tested under screenhouse conditions at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). Isolates exhibited growth-promoting activities, such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, tricalcium phosphate solubilization, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, siderophore production, and starch hydrolysis. The screenhouse experiment was conducted with upland rice (PSB Rc23) as the test crop, sterilized and natural soils, and recommended rate of inorganic fertilizers (RRIF) as other source variables. Results showed that significantly heavier shoot and root fresh weights are evident in plants grown in sterilized soil. Plants treated with full RRIF exhibited superior growth in terms of plant height, shoot and root weights, and grain yield. Among inoculated and fertilized plants, comparable growth promotion was obtained with Acidovorax delafieldii combined with half inorganic fertilizer rate, in terms of root fresh weight, shoot and root dry weights, plant height, grain yield, and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) uptake. Overall findings show that PGPR (A. delafieldii) in combination with 50% RRIF is as effective as full RRIF in enhancing growth and yield of PSB Rc23 rice, implying that dependence on chemical fertilizer can be reduced utilizing this PGPR. However, further evaluation of these bacterial isolates in actual field conditions is necessary to uncover their efficiency as potential biofertilizer.