~ 1197 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2019; 8(3): 1197-1201 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2019; 8(3): 1197-1201 Received: 13-03-2019 Accepted: 15-04-2019 Zaffar Mahdi Dar Division of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura Sopore, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India Mushtaq Ahmad Malik Division of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura Sopore, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India Malik Asif Aziz Division of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura Sopore, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India Amjad Masood Division of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura Sopore, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India Zahoor Ahmad Baba Division of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura Sopore, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India Correspondence Zaffar Mahdi Dar Division of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura Sopore, SKUAST-K, Jammu and Kashmir, India Performance of chilli inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhiza and phosphate solubilizing bacteria under reduced fertilizer application Zaffar Mahdi Dar, Mushtaq Ahmad Malik, Malik Asif Aziz, Amjad Masood and Zahoor Ahmad Baba Abstract A field experiment was carried out at FOA Wadura Sopore, Kashmir to evaluate the performance of chilli inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) when the fertilizer application was reduced to ½ and ¼ of the recommended fertilizer dose (RFD). The results of the study revealed that, inoculation of chilli with AM and PSB significantly increased all the parameters examined during the study. However, the best results were obtained when the seedlings were inoculated with AM followed by PSB at ½ of the RFD as evident from 16.6% and 12.6% increase in the total plant dry weight at the respective treatments as compared to control. Similarly the concentration of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in the plants inoculated with AM at ½ of the RFD was increased by 17.3, 20.6 and 23.2% followed by an increase of 2.5, 11.5, and 12.2% at PSB with ½ RFD as compared to control. Yield of chilli was respectively increased by 9.7% and 4.4 % when inoculated with AM and PSB at ½ of RFD as compared to control. Keywords: Chilli, fertilizer, inoculation, PSB and AM Introduction Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is the universal spice and widely cultivated throughout temperate, tropical and subtropical countries. Titillating pungency and fascinating natural colour of chillies form an indispensable adjunct in every home all over the world. It is liked for its pungency, spicy taste besides the appealing colour it adds to the food. The ground powder and oleoresin are utilized in pharmaceutical preparations (Warrier, 1989) [29] . Chilli is rich source of vitamins A, C and E. Hundred gram of edible portion of capsicum provides 24 k cal of energy, 1.3 g of protein 4.3 g of carbohydrate and 0.3 g of fat. The principal coloring matter in chilli is a carotenoid pigment called as capsanthin, constituting about 35 per cent of the total pigment. The chemical fertilizers like N, P and K have played a significant role in increasing the yield and quality of plant products during early seventies. However, indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers has resulted in several problems like loss of fertility and multiple nutrient deficiencies. In addition to it, heavy inoculation of inorganic fertilizers degrade the soil health by adversely affecting the microbial biodiversity, physical and chemical environment of soil, water bodies and capital inputs like soil, water and thus overall ecology which ultimately result in reduced crop productivity and quality (Ghanti and Sharangi, 2009) [24] . The reason for the increased use of chemical fertilizers is the increased demand for food and the ability of some of the mineral elements to get fixed with soil colloids after application. For example P is an essential macro element for plants, yet the total concentration of P in soils ranges from 0.02- 0.5%. Thus, to increase the availability of phosphorus for plants, large amount of fertilizers are used on a regular basis, because after inoculation, a large proportion of phosphorus is quickly transferred to an insoluble form (Omar, 1997) [18] . Keeping in view the adverse affects of application of inorganic fertilizers and their increasing cost, alternative technologies are to be developed through which the use of inorganic fertilizers can be minimized. In this regard the inoculation of microorganisms like AM and PSB seems to be an attractive solution that has been actively studied during the last decade so that dependence on inorganic fertilizers can be reduced as they have got the ability to supplement phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, zinc etc to the plant. AM are widespread in nature and are fundamental component of the agro-ecosystem (Bethlenfalvay et al., 1997) [5] . AM fungi are composed of fine, tubular filaments called hyphae. The mass of hyphae that forms the body of the fungus is called the mycelium. One of the most dramatic effects of infection by