THE USE OF AZOTOBACTER IN MAIZE PRODUCTION: THE EFFECT ON MICROBIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF SOIL, EARLY PLANT GROWTH AND GRAIN YIELD

The experiment focused on examining the effect of a mixture of azotobacter strains on the early growth of maize, grain yield and microbiological activity in rhizospheric soil of three maize hybrids: Tisa, NS5010 and NS444 ultra. Before seeding, the mixture of azotobacter strains was applied to one half of the experimental plot.The use of azotobacter led to an increase in the number of microorganisms. The mixture of azotobacter strains stimulated the early growth of maize to a great extent. With Tisa hybrid, the plants were up to 5 cm higher than the control plants and with NS444 ultra, the plants were up to 19,63 cm taller than the control plants. The grain yield in the variants with azotobacter increased with all three hybrids. The highest increase in yield was in NS5010 hybrid: 641 kg ha^-1, in Tisa 403 kg ha^-1 and in NS444 ultra, the grain yield increased by 396 kg ha^-1.