Page 363 - e-Book
P. 363

The main objective of the study is to measure the growth parameters of plants

               after  treatment  and  to  test  the  nutrients  in  the  soil  to  find  out  whether  the  biofertilizers
               enriches the soil. This study is also carried out to protect the plant from soil borne pathogens.

                MATERIALS AND METHODS:
                         The seeds taken were Cicer arietinum (Chickpeas), Capsicum annuum (Chilli), Lablab

               purpureus (Hyacinth Bean) and Vigna radiata (Mung bean) were purchased from the local
               market in Singanallur, Coimbatore. All the seeds belong to Fabaceae family except Chillies

               which belongs to Solanaceae family. The soil type chosen was red soil which is also collected

               from the same location.  The bacteria (Bacillus subtilis) and fungi (Trichoderma viride) were
               purchased from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore.

               Experimental Design:

                      For this study, Bacillus and Trichoderma were used in three different variations i.e the
               seeds were treated with Bacillus separately and the second one is treated with Trichoderma

               separately and finally the third one is treating the seeds with both Bacillus and Trichoderma
               in 1:1 ratio. Four different proportions i.e 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% were taken for testing the

               growth parameters.
               Seed Treatment:

                          The seeds of Chickpeas and mung bean were soaked in water overnight and the seeds

               of Chilli and Lablab were taken directly. 5g of chickpea seeds, lablab seeds, mung bean seeds
               and chilli seeds were treated with 1% of Bacillus using rice gruel. In the same way, these

               seeds  were  treated  with  other  three  (2%,  3%,  4%)  Bacillus  proportions.  Then  the  treated
               seeds were dried for some time and planted in the soil separately. 5g of Chickpea seeds, chilli

               seeds, mung bean and lablab seeds were treated with 1% of Trichoderma using rice gruel.
               Then the same quantity of seeds was treated with 2% of Trichoderma using rice gruel. By

               using same procedure, the other two (3%,4%) proportions were also treated. 5g of Chickpea

               seeds,  chilli,  mung  bean  and  lablab  seeds  were  treated  with  1%  of  both  Bacillus  and
               Trichoderma in 1:1 ratio i.e 0.5% of Bacillus with 0.5% of Trichoderma using rice gruel. In

               the same way, the seeds were treated with other three proportions i.e 2% (1+1), 3% (1.5+1.5),

               4% (2+2) respectively. After that they were dried for some time and planted in the soil. These
               seed treatments were done and planted for three repeats each.


                          After seed treatment, they were planted and observed for about 15 days. After 5 to 10
               days, the plants which were grown in the combination of both Bacillus and Trichoderma in

               1:1 ratio alone were sprayed with coconut water. Coconut water is rich in cytokinins and they





                                                           353
   358   359   360   361   362   363   364   365   366   367   368