Effect of PPFM Application on Microbial Population in Transplanted Tice

Field experiments were laid out at Wetlands in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore. The experiment was conducted with the following treatments viz., M₁: Absolute control (No fertilizers), M₂: RDF (150:50:50 kg NPK ha¹):, M₃: M₂ + 12.5 t FYMha⁻¹ and M₄: M₃+ Azophosmet (Seed and soil application) + PPFM (foliar spray) at active tillering, panicle initiation and at 50% flowering stage. The pre-germinated seeds were treated with Azophosmet @ 2 g kg⁻¹ (or) Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g kg⁻¹ and @ 2.5 kg ha⁻¹ was applied as basal. The biofertilizers were mixed with well decomposed FYM for uniform application throughout the plots. 0.1% Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotroph (PPFM)/0.2% Pseudomonas fluorescens was sprayed at active tillering, panicle initiation and at 50 per cent ear head emergence stages. The results revealed that M₄ registered improved the microbial population viz., bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, Azospirillum, phosphobacteria and PPFM.