Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
A field experiment was made at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, during the autumn-spring season of crop years 1979–80 and 1980–1 to study the effects of irrigation, pyrites and phosphobacteria on the efficiency of Mussoorie rock phosphate(north-western Himalayan deposits) for lentils (Lens culinaris Medic), and residual effects were studied in maize (Zea mays L.). Response to phosphate was observed only when the crop received irrigation. Mussoorie rock phosphate was only 40·5% as effective as ordinary superphosphate; its efficiency was increased to 50·4% when it was mixed with 25% (by weight) pyrites. When the lentil seeds were treated with the culture of Pseudomonas striata (phosphate solubilizing bacteria) the efficiency of rock phosphate was increased to 79·7%. Rock phosphate together with seed treatment with phosphobacteria also showed residual effects on the succeeding maize crop which were equal to those obtained with ordinary superphosphate. Our results thus show that use of phosphobacteria can considerably increase the efficiency of rock phosphate on neutral soils.