Paper Yield, nutrient availability and uptake in wheat (Triticum aestivum) as influenced by Azotobacter and nitrogen levels

An experiment was carried out during the winter (rabi) season of 2014–15 and 2015–16 at Ludhiana, Punjab, with objectives of increasing nutrient availability, uptake and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield with application of Azotobacter and nitrogen. Results showed that inoculation with Azotobacter and increased nitrogen levels signifi-cantly improved the yield attributes. Among the inoculation methods, seed inoculation with Azotobacter enhanced yield by 7.7% and 8.3% during 2014–15 and 2015–16, respectively, over un-inoculated control. The nutrient content, uptake and soil microbial count were also improved with the inoculation of Azotobacter and increase nitrogen levels. The seed and soil inoculations were statistically similar to each other for different parameters during both the years.