Effects of salinity and microbial inoculation on the yield and phosphorous efficiency indicators of corn

In this study, in order to assess the effect of salinity on yield, phosphorous efficiency indicators and some elements concentration in corn root and shoot dry weight, and also to evaluate phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms and mycorrhizal fungi efficiency in adjusting salinity impacts on plant, an experiment carried out in a completely randomized design in greenhouse conditions. The first factor involves salinity (non-saline (NS) and salinity of 4.5 dS m-1 (S)) and the second factor was microbial inoculation including control (without inoculation), nutrition with soluble phosphorus (P), mycorrhizal inoculation (M), inoculation of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), phosphate solubilizing fungi inoculation (PSF), co-inoculation of mycorrhiza and bacteria (MB) and co-inoculation of mycorrhiza and fungi (MF). At the end of growing period, some plant growth indicators and nutrient concentrations in plant shoot were measured and phosphorous efficiency indicators were calculated. The results showed that salinity levels had a significant impact on all of measured properties except zinc. The highest amounts of shoot length (78.89 cm) and stem diameter (1.023 cm) were observed in soluble phosphorus treatment. Also, the results showed a significant increase in the amount of phosphorous, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, shoot length and stem diameter of plants that were inoculated with mycorrhiza and bacteria and in co-inoculation of AMF and phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms condition, in comparison with non-inoculated plants. Bacteria and mycorrhizal treatments increased shoot length amount 1.90 and 1.20 times compared to control, respectively. Fungi and mycorrhiza treatments increased shoot zinc content 40.98 and 85.65 percent compared to control, respectively. It is inferred that microbial inoculation increase corn plants resistance in salinity condition by influencing nutrients uptake.