Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (2): 138-145. doi: 10.7668/hbnxb.20196388

Special Issue: Corn Soil fertilizer

• Resources & Environment·Plant Protection • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Combinations of Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria Promote Maize Growth and Phosphorus Uptake

SUN Yaqin1,2, CHENG Yanan1, LI Hang1, LIU Xing1, ZHANG Ying1, WANG Fei1   

  1. 1 School of Plant Protection and Environment, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, China
    2 The College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
  • Received:2025-08-26 Published:2026-04-28

Abstract:

To investigate the phosphate-solubilizing effects of different combinations of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria(PSB)and their impact on maize growth and phosphorus uptake,a pot experiment was conducted using three bacterial strains with distinct taxonomic classifications and phosphate-solubilizing capacities:Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis P4-5,Arthrobacter oryzae P5-41,and Bacillus aryabhattai P3-50.A non-inoculated treatment served as the blank control(CK),and the experimental treatments included:single inoculation with P4-5(Pf),single inoculation with P5-41(Ao),single inoculation with P3-50(Ba),dual inoculation with P4-5 and P5-41(Pf×Ao),dual inoculation with P4-5 and P3-50(Pf×Ba),dual inoculation with P5-41 and P3-50(Ao×Ba),and combined inoculation with P4-5,P5-41,and P3-50(Pf×Ao×Ba).The effects of these inoculation treatments on maize root morphology,shoot growth,phosphorus uptake,and indole-3-acetic acid(IAA)secretion capacity by the bacterial strains were analyzed.The results indicated that,compared to the CK,all PSB inoculations significantly increased maize stem diameter,leaf SPAD value,shoot biomass,and phosphorus uptake.Furthermore,they also significantly enhanced rhizosphere alkaline phosphatase activity(except for single inoculation with Pf and Ba,respectively)and reduced soil available phosphorus content(except for single inoculation with Ba).Among these treatments,the combined inoculation of Pf×Ao×Ba exhibited the best overall performance.This treatment secreted high concentrations of IAA,optimized maize root morphology(increasing root length,volume,surface area,and number of root tips),and significantly increased rhizosphere alkaline phosphatase activity,thereby promoting the mineralization of soil organic phosphorus and consequently enhancing maize growth and phosphorus uptake.In conclusion,the combined inoculation of Pf×Ao×Ba significantly promoted maize growth and improved phosphorus nutrition through a dual mechanism:optimizing root morphology by increasing root length,volume,surface area,and root tip number through IAA secretion,and effectively mineralizing soil organic phosphorus by enhancing alkaline phosphatase activity.

Key words: Maize, Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria(PSB), Combined inoculation, Root morphology, Alkaline phosphatase activity, Phosphate uptake

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Cite this article

SUN Yaqin, CHENG Yanan, LI Hang, LIU Xing, ZHANG Ying, WANG Fei. Combinations of Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria Promote Maize Growth and Phosphorus Uptake[J]. Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica, 2026, 41(2): 138-145. doi: 10.7668/hbnxb.20196388.

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