EFFECT OF CONSORTIA OF LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM STRAINS ON GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS OF LACTUCA SATIVA L. SEEDLINGS
Being absolutely safe for human and animal health, bacteria of Lactobacillus genus are the perspective agents for biological control and plant growth stimulation in organic agriculture. The aim of the investigation was to study the effect of consortia of L. plantarum strains on germination and growth characteristics of lettuce Lactuca sativa L. Materials and methods. Germination and growth characteristics were studied under sterile conditions in vitro and in soil in a greenhouse. 2% of overnight cultures of lactobacilli mixed in equal proportions were used. Seeds were treated with bacterial suspensions for one hour. Results. In soil lactobacilli exhibited better stimulation activity than under the laboratory conditions in Petri dishes. All the tested consortia (L. plantarum ОNU 12+991; ОNU 12+991+311; ОNU 12+991+311+313) and the strain L. plantarum ONU 12 separately increased the mean lengths of lettuce stems and leaves. The mean leaf area and weight of the plants were improved by all variants of the treatments except the consortium from the four strains. Conclusion. The most effective was the consortium from the two strains - L. plantarum ONU 12+991: the mean lenghts of the plants germinated from the seeds treated with the mixture ONU 12+991 increased 8.6 times, mean leaf area - 3.2 times, and germination under soil conditions increased by 43.3%.