Shelf life of liquid and carrier based Mesorhizobium sp. and Pseudomonas sp. inoculants under different storage conditions

Survival of Mesorhizobium sp. and Pseudomonas sp. in liquid inoculants was compared with their carrier based inoculants under refrigerated and room temperature conditions. The shelf life of both carrier and liquid inoculants was better under refrigerated than at room conditions. The liquid and carrier inoculants under refrigerated conditions showed 3.5 and 9.8 per cent more mean viable counts of Mesorhizobium sp. and 6.1 and 13.4 per cent of Pseudomonas sp. at different intervals. Liquid inoculants by recording 12.3 and 19.1 per cent more mean viable counts of Mesorhizobium sp. and 10.6 and 18.2 per cent of Pseudomonas sp. count under refrigerated and room conditions, at different intervals gave better shelf life than their carrier inoculants.