Inoculation of Bacillus sphaericus UPMB-10 to young oil palm and measurement of its uptake of fixed nitrogen using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution technique

Microbes Environ. 2012;27(3):257-62. doi: 10.1264/jsme2.me11309. Epub 2012 Mar 23.

Abstract

There are increasing applications of diazotrophic rhizobacteria in the sustainable agriculture system. A field experiment on young immature oil palm was conducted to quantify the uptake of N derived from N₂ fixation by the diazotroph Bacillus sphaericus strain UPMB-10, using the ¹⁵N isotope dilution method. Eight months after ¹⁵N application, young immature oil palms that received 67% of standard N fertilizer application together with B. sphaericus inoculation had significantly lower ¹⁵N enrichment than uninoculated palms that received similar N fertilizers. The dilution of labeled N served as a marker for the occurrence of biological N₂ fixation. The proportion of N uptake that was derived from the atmosphere was estimated as 63% on the whole plant basis. The inoculation process increased the N and dry matter yields of the palm leaflets and rachis significantly. Field planting of young, immature oil palm in soil inoculated with B. sphaericus UPMB-10 might mitigate inorganic fertilizer-N application through supplementation by biological nitrogen fixation. This could be a new and important source of nitrogen biofertilizer in the early phase of oil palm cultivation in the field.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arecaceae / metabolism*
  • Arecaceae / microbiology*
  • Bacillus / metabolism*
  • Bacillus / physiology
  • Isotope Labeling
  • Nitrogen / metabolism*
  • Nitrogen Fixation

Substances

  • Nitrogen