Response of cotton to spraying of methanol and pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria.

Abstract

Two field trials were conducted at the Research and Experimental Station Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Aim Shams University at Shalakan, Kalubia Governorate, Egypt during the summer seasons of 2007 and 2008. This investigation aimed to study the response of growth and productivity of Egyptian cotton to the treatments of foliar application of methanol (meth) alone or with pinkpigmented facultative methylotrophic (PPFM) bacteria {Control, meth 10 %, 3 times, meth 10 %, 4 times, meth 20 %, 3 times, meth 20 %, 4 times, meth 30 %, 7 times, PPFM, 3 times, PPFM, 4 times, meth 10 %+PPFM, 3 times, meth 10 %+PPFM, 4 times, meth 20 %+PPFM, 3 times, meth 20 %+PPFM, 4 times, meth 20 %+PPFM, 1 time}. Results revealed that spraying meth 20 %+PPFM, 4 times enhanced leaf thickness and number of vegetative and fruiting branches/plant than the untreated plants. Moreover, meth 20 %+PPFM, 3 times was the efficient practice for increasing LAI and decreasing unbranched region length, but statistically leveled with meth 20 %+PPFM, 4 times in this respect. Additionally, meth 30 %, 7 times treatment came in the next order for decreasing the unbranched region length and increasing each of leaf thickness, LAI, and number of vegetative and fruiting branches/plant. The maximal values of chlorophyll a: chlorophyll b ratio were achieved with meth 20 %+PPFM sprayed 3 or 4 times treatments. Ratio values of such remarkable treatments were higher than 3 (3.76 and 3.36, respectively). Meth 30 %, 7 times treatment achieved the highest value of sucrose: glycolic acid ratio. Off the individual meth application, meth at a rate of 30 %, 7 times was the potent treatment for enhancing cotton yield/fed. and harvest index by 31.7 and 4.9 %, respectively over the control. On the other site, lowering meth application rate from 30 %, 7 times to 20 %+PPFM, 4 or 3 times caused increases by 35.2 and 34.4 % (for seed cotton yield) and 5.8 and 6.1 % (for harvest index), respectively compared to control. The highest radiation use efficiency (RUE) values were obtained with meth 20 %+PPFM, 4 or 3 times and meth 30 %, 7 times.