Efficiency of Potassium Solubilizing Bacteria Inoculants to Improve Yield of Carrot and Their Potential Cytotoxicity on Root Tip Cells

Abstract

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is considered as one of the important root vegetable crops. It is a biennial herb belonging to the family Apiaceae with a diploid chromosome number 2n=2x=18. It is often used in salad or in food processing industry due to its high nutritional value (Abo Elkhier, 2013). Its roots are rich in fiber, minerals, calcium, amino acids, vitamin C, glucose and fructose (Bose et al., 2000; Chantaro et al., 2008). In addition, carrot is a good source for β-carotene (vitamin A), vitamin B6 (11% DV) and vitamin K (13% DV) (Soria et al., 2009; Iorizzo et al., 2013). It is easy to grow and does not need much amounts of fertilizers (Allemann and Young, 2002).