Effect of suspension of Pseudomonas sp. GEOT18 strain on growth and productivity of barley variety Sonet

The use of PGPR microorganisms can accelerate the growth and development of plants, as well as optimize their mineral nutrition. One of the potentially promising groups of microorganisms for crop production is the genus Pseudomonas. The aim of the work is to evaluate growth parameters and productivity of spring barley variety Sonet under the action of suspension of Pseudomonas sp. GEOT18 strain. We conducted the research within the framework of small-scale field experiments in the conditions of the Vologda region in 2020 and 2022. The bacteria were applied twice: by inoculation of seeds and spraying of plants in the tillering period. During the growing season, we evaluated the number of shoots, leaves, the area of a single leaf and the entire assimilation surface, as well as dry mass and photosynthetic pigment content. At the wax stage, we collected the material of experimental and control variants in order to record grain productivity and analyze the yield structure. During the research we revealed that treatment with suspension of Pseudomonas sp. GEOT18 strain caused an increase in growth parameters in Sonet barley: dry weight (up to 76%), number (up to 6%) and leaf area (up to 60%). The most noticeable differences were observed in 2022, with more comfortable weather conditions. An increase in the morphometric parameters of plants occurred against the background of a higher content of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves of plants in the control group. The increase in the values of growth parameters of barley variety Sonet, apparently, had an impact on grain productivity, which exceeded the control in the experimental variants by 20-40%.