Influence of Microbial Priming on Germination and Seedling Growth Traits of Compact Cotton CO17

Cotton, known as “the King of fibers”, is the predominant fiber in the Indian textile industry. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) represent a potential sustainable alternative for the enhancement and protection of crops. The germination and seedling growth of cotton can be optimized by inoculating with PGPR. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different PGPR strains on seed germination and seedling establishment characters on cotton. The highest germination percentage, maximum vigour index and leaf area was obtained with the PPFM TNAU1 strain inoculation. The maximum shoot and root length were observed with seeds treated with Azospirillum strain sp7 with an increase of 24.4 and 42.8% over the control. Underground fresh and dry matter was higher in seedlings treated with Azospirillum sp7 strain compared to control, while the PPFM TNAU1 strain treatment increased the aerial fresh and dry matter content because of its larger leaf area. Seeds inoculated with individual strain of Azospirillum sp7 and PPFM TNAU1 outperformed the combined inoculation of PGPR strains. The increase in germination traits and seedling characters by PGPR strains indicates the positive influence on improving cotton seedling establishment traits associated to higher yield.