Growth promotion of Guinea grass by diazotrophic bacteria1

ABSTRACT The Panicum maximum species (cv. Mombaça) is a forage plant well adapted to the different edaphoclimatic conditions found in Brazil; however, it requires high nitrogen fertilizer doses to ensure high yields. The present study aimed to assess the inoculation effect with associative diazotrophic bacteria strains on the yield and bromatological characteristics of the Guinea grass. A randomized block design was used, consisting of 25 treatments, being 23 of them inoculated with diazotrophic bacteria and two without inoculation (one with and the other without mineral nitrogen), with four repetitions. The analyzed variables were stem diameter; leaf width and length; leaf, stem and root dry mass yield; crude protein; acid and neutral detergent fibers. There were no differences among the treatments for root dry mass, stem diameter and acid detergent fiber. For the remaining variables, a positive effect of the inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria was observed, particularly for the following Unifenas strains: 100-06, 100-13, 100-26, 100-30, 10-35, 100-54, 100-69, 100-71 and 100-94. This reveals the potential of these bacterial strains for use at the sustainable production of the Guinea grass with a reduction in the use of nitrogen inputs.