The effects of fictibacillus enclensis and biochar on plant growth

Abstract

Food insecurity is an emerging concern in the world, as global populations are increasing and the yield and quality of crops are declining. Excessive use of agrochemicals designed to improve plant growth is very damaging to the environment, which warrants the need for sustainable alternatives. The exploitation of plant growth-promoting bacteria is one alternative being considered due to the inherent relationship between plants and beneficial bacteria within the soil. The use of biochar provides its own benefits to plants in addition to acting as a carrier for bacterial inoculum. <br> Here we investigated the effects that a formulation of <i>Fictibacillus enclensis</i> and biochar had on the vegetative growth of collard greens, carrots, and barley. Carrots treated with the <i>F. enclensis</i> and biochar formulation exhibited little benefit in terms of carrot root weight and length; however, collard greens treated with the <i>F. enclensis</i> and biochar formulation displayed improvements in leaf weight. In the barley trial, the formulation of <i>F. enclensis</i> and biochar did improve some aspects of the vegetative growth of barley when compared to <i>F. enclensis</i> by itself. <br> However, these results can not be relied upon. The positive controls did not produce any benefits to the vegetative growth of the plants. Therefore, any results that are obtained do not accurately showcase the effects that the <i>F. enclensis</i> and biochar formulation has on the vegetative growth of plants; something is wrong in the system being used to grow the plants. The growth of the plants is being restricted by certain limiting resources/factors. Consequently, any interpretation of the results is deemed inaccurate and unreliable.