The combined inocula of Trichoderma harzianum and Pseudomonas putida as a microbial consortium enhances the growth and yield of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

A sustainable agricultural method to increase crop yield and reduce dependence on chemical inputs is the use of beneficial microbial species as bioinoculants, especially Trichoderma spp., Pseudomonas spp. and microbial consortia. This study evaluated the impact of single and combined inoculations of Trichoderma harzianum ITEM 3636 and Pseudomonas putida PCI2 on pepper plants in field assays. Fruits from consortium-inoculated plants were larger than those from single-strain treatments or uninoculated controls, showing pronounced increases in fruit width and fruit length. Additionally, yield gains were highest under consortium inoculation, whereas individual strain inoculations resulted in intermediate responses. These results suggest the potential use of the consortium as an effective bioinoculant for increasing pepper yield. An initial qualitative assessment of soil microbial taxonomic profiles was carried out. Results showed that root-associated soil from individual inoculations showed higher abundances of one dominant fungal taxon compared to the remaining taxa, in contrast to dual inoculation that displayed a more balanced fungal distribution. Also, bacterial taxa were more balanced in inoculated soils compared to the control. Overall, our work reports on a useful microbiological tool to improve sustainability in horticultural systems.