Philippine E-Journals

Bacterial Isolates as Potential Inoculants for Organic Kale (Brassica oleracea L.) Production in Nueva Ecija

Ruth P. Guntang | Purisima P. Juico | Jonathan L. Galindez

 

Abstract:

Organic agriculture greatly depends on soil microorganisms to produce the optimum amount of nutrients available for plant use. This study was conducted to evaluate the yield and yield components of organic Kale (Brassica oleracea L.) in response to bacterial inoculants. The experiment was conducted in a ten-yearold organic farm at Ramon Magsaysay-Center for Agricultural Resources and Environment Studies, Central Luzon State University (RM-CARES-CLSU), Nueva Ecija. All treatments used 5t/ha recommended rate of organic fertilizer (RROF), varying only with inoculants Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacea, and Bacillus subtilis. Plants applied with organic fertilizer inoculated with E. cloacea increased yield by 27% compared to plants applied with solely organic fertilizer. E. cloacea was also the best inoculant for organic fertilizer based on yield weight per plot and per hectare and the number of survived plants. It is also the most efficient bacterial inoculant for organic fertilizer to enhance the availability of nutrients for optimum organic Kale production. E. aerogenes, on the other hand, stimulated the nitrogen uptake significantly, and although comparable with other treatments, it can induce high dry matter yield and high nitrogen and potassium content of the plant.