Effects of Nostoc sp. inoculation on the yield and quality of a medicinal plant, Allium sativum

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of cyanobacteria as a soil inoculant for cultivation of the medicinal plant, Allium sativum. Cyanobacterial strains isolated from the medicinal plant field were cultured in BG11/BG11° medium. Three cyanobacterial isolates, Nostoc sp. HNBGU 006 (NS-TGS), Pseudanabaena biceps (PaS-TGiS), Chroococcus turgidus (CS-TTS), were selected for in-vitro assays. Seedling growth assays were performed with A. sativum and Raphanus sativus seeds primed with different concentration of aqueous extracts prepared from these isolates. Live cell suspension of the selected cyanobacterium, NS-TGS, was inoculated in pot soil to observe the effect of cyanobacterization on growth of A. sativum. Maximum enhancement in all the growth parameters was exhibited by 1% aqueous extract of NS-TGS in comparison to control. The result of NS-TGS inoculation in pot soil revealed an increase of 54.92 % in root length, 31.28 % in shoot length, 112 % in dry weight and 50.33 % in yield. An enhancement of 84.28% in the allicin content was also recorded in cloves grown in treated soil as compared to control. There was significant enhancement in soil and leaf chlorophyll as well as soil potassium content with the highest recorded in the treatment BSI (before sowing inoculation) + ASI (after sowing inoculation). This study provides an insight to the cyanobacterization of soil with NS-TGS for the cultivation of A. sativum herb and is consistent with the sustainable agriculture approach.