Evaluation of Lettuce and Tomato Varieties- Plant

Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR)

Interaction Under Upland And Lowland Conditions

January 2008 – June 2009

Basic Information
 Project Leader: Evelyn F. Delfin
 Implementing Agency: IPB-CSC, CA, UPLB
 Funding Agency: PCARRD-DOST
 Duration:
 Date Started: January 1, 2008
 Date Completed: June 30, 2009
Significance of the Study

 Increasing crop productivity through heavy

fertilizer and pesticide inputs were expensive
not only in terms of economic investment but
also because of their adverse effect on the
environment

 Importance of microbial communities that

interact with plants on plant health,
productivity and biodiversity
Significance of the Study

 Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR)

were found capable of promoting plant growth
through increased root length and volume
 BIOTECH, UPLB developed a PGPR inoculant
for vegetable crops with the trademark
‘BioGroe’.
 Need to determine the presence of interaction
of different varieties of tomato and lettuce with
PGPR inoculation.
Objective:

 To evaluate lettuce and tomato varieties- plant

growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)
interaction under upland and lowland
conditions
Accomplishments

 Conducted replicated field

trials
 Lettuce – evaluated 9
varieties – DS 2008
 Tomato – evaluated 10
entries
UPLB – DS and WS 2008
Lowland – DS 2008
Lettuce varieties evaluated

Triton M1
Green Tower Parris Island

Tyrol Craquelle du Midi

 Lettuce varieties evaluated

Corelle Falbala

Green Span Lollo Rosa

 Lettuce
 Lack of significant treatment * variety
interaction was obtained in terms of marketable
yield , dry matter yield, root/shoot ratio and nutrient
uptake although different treatment – variety
combinations showed a wide range of response among
varieties to inoculation

Significant Treatment *Variety Interaction was

obtained in terms of average plant weight and P
content
 Plant weight, g plant-1

0
100
125
175
200

150

25
50
75
L Batavia Lollo Rosa

Corelle

Falbala

Green span

Parris Island

Green Tower
* 33%

Tyrol
* 39%

Craquelle du Midi

Triton M1
Control
Inoculated
 Phosphorus content %

0
0.1
0.2
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7

0.3
L Batavia Lollo Rosa

Corelle

Falbala

Green span

Parris Island
* 17%

Green Tower

Tyrol
*21%

Craquelle du Midi

Triton M1
Control
Inoculated
Field Evaluation – Tomato
UPLB, DS and WS 2008

Experimental Layout: Split-split plot design with 3 reps

 Main plot – Fertilizer Rate
 Subplot – Inoculation
 Sub-sub plot - varieties

Plot size : 4 m x 3 m. 0.40 m distance between hills, 0.75 m distance between rows

Fertilization: Full Fertilizer Rate – 93-46-113 kg NPK ha-1;

Half Fertilizer Rate : 46.5-23-56.5
 Basal application - 10 g complete fertilizer per plant
 Sidedress– 10 g (6.67 g Ammonium Sulfate and 3.33 g Muriate of Potash)
Tomato varieties

Open Pollinated
Northern Red
Improved Apollo
Caraibo
Rossana
Discovery

Hybrid Variety
Assunta
Rocky/Diamante
Mt. Fresh
Antares
Atlas
 Results
Agronomic Characteristic:

 Significant fertilizer –inoculation treatment interaction

– number of branches, number of flower cluster

 with inoculation , number of branches - increased by 29%

under half fertilization rate (HFR)

 30% increase in number of flower clusters due to

inoculation observed under HFR from 10 to 13 clusters

 Significant group-inoculation interaction – flower

clusters formed
Inoculation increased number of flower clusters among OP
varieties from 11 to 13 clusters –15% increase
 a
9
b
8
a a

Number of Primary
7
6

no plant -1
Branch
Uninoculated
5
4 Inoculated
3
2
1
0
HRR FRR
Fertilizer Application

Number of primary branches of inoculated and

uninoculated tomatoesat two fertilizer levels.

 29% increase in number of primary branches with

inoculation under Half Fertilization Rate
 a
14
b a a
12

Number of Flower
10

no plant -1
Cluster
8
Uninoculated
6
Inoculated
4
2
0
HFR FFR
FERTILIZER RATE

Number of flower clusters of inoculated and uninoculated

tomatoes at two fertilizer levels

 30% increase in no of flower clusters due to

inoculation observed under HFR from 10 to
13 clusters
 a
14
b
12
Number of Flower Cluster

a a
10
no plant-1

8 Uninoculated
Inoculated
6

0
Open Pollinated Hybrid
Tomato Group

Number of flower clusters of inoculated and uninoculated

OP and hybrid tomatoes.

Inoculation increased number of flower clusters among

OP varieties from 11 to 13 clusters –15% increase
 Significant fertilizer – inoculation treatment-
variety interaction – flower dry weight and root dry
weight

 Root dry weight – inoculation increased root dry

weight of Northern Red, Improved Apollo and
Discoveryby 37-83% under HFR

 Under FFR , only Improved Apollo showed significant

increase in root dry weight
 Root dry weight, g
Root dry weight, g plant-1 plant-1

0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00

Northern Red
*

*
Improved Apollo
*

Caraibo

Rosanna

Discovery
*

Variety
Assunta

Rocky
Half-Fertilizer Rate

Full Fertilizer Rate

Mt. Fresh

Antares

Atlas
Control
Inoculated

Control
Inoculated
Fruit Yield
 Due to problems with various plant diseases such as
virus and bacterial wilt few plants survived up to
maturity
 Such that fertilization and inoculation effects were
not significant , although the Hybrids had higher
yield than OPs in general
 Varieties evaluated differed significantly in terms of
yield
WET SEASON EVALUATION
Agronomic Characteristics
Significant fertilizer-inoculation-variety interaction –
number of branches formed

Improved Apollo showed a significant 33% increase in

the number of branches formed due to inoculation for both
fertilization rates while Rosanna had a remarkable 40%
increase with half-fertilizer rate.

Significant 33% increases were obtained for Discovery

and Mt. Fresh with full fertilizer rate applied.
Branches plant-1
8 * * Half-Fertilizer
7
6
5
Inoculated
4
Control
3
2
1
0

* * *
8 Full Fertilizer
7
6
5
4
3
2 Inoculated
1 Control
0
Rossana

Diamante

Antares
Assunta

Atlas
Northern Red

Discovery

Mt. Fresh
Improved Apollo

Tomato Caraibo
 Significant fertilizer-inoculation-variety interaction –
number of flower clusters formed

In terms of number of flower clusters formed, inoculation

increased the flower clusters of Rossana by 60% increase
under half-fertilizer rate treatment

Caraibo, Discovery and Atlas showed remarkable increase

in the number of flower clusters formed with full fertilizer
rate applied
Number of flower clusters
no plant-1
* *
8 * Half Fertilizer Rate
7

5
Inoculated
4
Control
3

Full Fertilizer Rate

12

10 *
8
* *
6

4 Inoculated
Control
2

0
Rossana
Improved
Northern

Discovery

Antares

atlas
Mt. Fresh
Diamante
Assunta
Caraibo
Tomato
Apollo
Red
Significant inoculation treatment-variety interaction -
above ground dry matter , root dry weight and root shoot
ratio

PGPR inoculation also increased above ground dry matter

and root dry weight of hybrid variety, Antares by 26 and
21%, respectively whereas the other entries did not respond
to inoculation across fertilizer rates.

The increase in root dry weight due to inoculation also

increased the root shoot ratio of OP varieties, Northern Red
and Improved Apollo.
Nutrient Uptake

 Inoculation increased P content of the evaluated varieties

from 0.20 to 0.21% P which also resulted to enhanced P
uptake.

 Differences in N and K uptake in response to different

treatment combinations were not observed.
Yield

 PGPR inoculation significantly increased the total

yield of OP variety, Rosanna and hybrid Variety, Atlas

 With inoculation, the total fruit weight of Rosanna was

increased by 27% while Atlas showed 19% increase
 Average fruit weight, g plant-1

0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700

Northern Red

Tomato Caraibo

Rossana
* 27 %

Discovery

Assunta

Diamante

Antares

Atlas
Control
Inoculated
Lowland Evaluation

Experimental Layout: Split plot design with 3 reps

Main plot – Inoculation
Subplot - varieties

Plot size : 4 m x 3 m. 0.40 m distance between hills, 0.75 m distance

between rows

Fertilization: Full Fertilizer Rate – 71-46-112 kg NPK ha-1

Basal application -
Sidedress–
 Results

 Significant Treatment*Variety Interaction – Flower

Dry Weight and Shoot Dry Matter Yield

 Assunta and Atlas significant increase in flower dry weight

 Assunta had significant increase in shoot dry matter yield

due to inoculation

 Yield data were not obtained from the trial because of the
heavy rains in May which flooded the field trial
 Shoot dry weight, g plant-1

0
1
3
4
5
6
7
8

2
Northern Red

Improved Apollo

Caraibo

Rossana
*

Assunta

Rocky

Mt.Fresh
Shoot Dry Matter Yield

Antares

Atlas
Control
Inoculated
 Recommendation

With the evident response of certain tomato and lettuce

varieties to PGPR inoculation, trials should be
conducted at different locations to validate the results
of the on-station field evaluation.