OXIDIZED ACIDIC BIOCHAR AND Pseudomonas aeruginosa ENHANCED PHOSPHORUS AVAILABILITY AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF TRANSPLANTED MAIZE IN ACID SOIL

Abstract

Transplanted maize plays a vital role in enhancing food security, particularly in regions facing agricultural challenges such as poor soil conditions, erratic rainfall, and limited access to resources. It can be advantageous for smallholder farmers in developing regions, where it can enhance productivity on limited land and under suboptimal conditions while reducing input costs. However, the combined effects of functionalized biochar (a pyrogenic carbon) and microbes on phosphorus (P) bioavailability and plant growth performance are still not well understood. This study investigates the optimization of transplanted maize growth in acidic soil through the application of rice husk biochar (RHB) that was oxidized with 10% hydrogen peroxide and inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a phosphate-solubilizing bacterium. The oxidized biochar's pH was adjusted to 6.2 to enhance its effectiveness in challenging soil conditions. The objective of this study was to improve Phosphorus availability and increase nutrient uptake result in increase maize growth, development and yield. The combined use of 10% oxidized RHB and Pseudomonas aeruginosa significantly increased P availability and phosphatase enzyme activity by 435% and a 418% respectively. Furthermore, the yield of maize increased by 25.79 grams per pot, demonstrating the effectiveness of the treatment in improving soil fertility and crop productivity. These improvement in yield might have occurred due to an increase soil pH, P bioavailability (r²= 0.74), and a reduction in Al toxicity (r²= 0.36). These findings underscore the potential of integrating oxidized biochar and beneficial microbes Pseudomonas aeruginosa to enhance crop performance in acidic soils.