ABSTRACT
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs an food preferences for an active and healthy life. Soybean is one of the most important oil crops of the world which also has enormous importance as a food legume. Application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has been shown to increase legume growth and development under optimal temperature conditions, and specifically to increase nodulation and nitrogen fixxation of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.).
The research aims in showing enhancement of soybeans growth by Plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria, two samples of Tomato rhizospheric soil were gotten from a private farm in Ikpoba Okha, Edo state and Fcaulty of Agriculture, University of Benin. Bacteria strains were isolated from these samples and characterized morphologically and biochemically, a total of four isolates were identified isolate 1, isolate 2, isolate 3 and isolate 4 (Pseudomonas sp. Strain 1 Pseudomonas sp.Strain2, Citrobacter sp. and Yersinia sp.). The strains were analyzed for some of their PGPR traits like Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN), Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) and Ammonia production. Two isolates out of the four isolates showed better plant growth promoting traits, the isolates were isolate 1 and isolate 3. The Pseudomonas sp. Strain 1 and Citrobacter sp. produced HCN. The Pseudo. sp. Strain 1 produced the highest level of ammonia. They both (isolate 1 and 3) had high concentration and absorbance level of IAA in absorbance and concentration. Pseudo. Sp strain 1 had a concentration level of 20.92±0.02 and the Citrobacter sp. had a concentration level of 18.00±0.03. The two species were used to grow the soybeans seeds gotten from the international institute of tropical agriculture, Ibadan for seven days and the shoot length, width, root length, width, fresh weight, dry weight was measured after the experiment was carried out. A significant difference in growth between the seed inoculated with the treatments (Pseudo sp. Strain 1, Citro. Sp., a co-inoculation of both species) and the non-inoculated seeds (control). This study helped show that PGPR aids high seed germination and growth.
