Field performance of a liquid formulation of Azospirillum brasilense on dryland wheat productivity

The beneficial effects of inoculating with Azospirillum brasilense on crop productivity have been widely described, but extensive use in typical agricultural field environments is scarcely documented. The objective of this study was to quantify the productivity of wheat (Triticum aestiuum L.) whose seed was inoculated with a liquid formulation containing Azospirillum brasilense INTA Az-39 strain under typical dryland farming conditions. The study was performed in the 2002-2006 growing seasons, evaluating inoculated and noninoculated seed at 297 experimental locations in the Pampas region of Argentina. The inoculated crops exhibited more vigorous vegetative growth, with both greater shoot and root dry matter accumulation (12.9 and 22.0%, respectively). The inoculation increased the number of harvested grains by 6.1%, and grain yield by 260 kg ha(-1) (8.0%). Positive responses were determined in about 70% of the sites, depending mostly on the attainable yield and independently of fertilization and other crop and soil management practices. In general, more response to inoculation was observed in the absence of major crop growth limitations, suggesting the complementary contribution of the Azospirillum brasilense treatment to more efficiently developing higher yielding wheat. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.