Summary
This two-year field trial in Pakistan evaluated how beneficial microbial inoculants enhance nitrogen use efficiency when combined with integrated organic and inorganic nitrogen sources in wheat production. Treatments combining 50% urea with 50% farm yard manure and beneficial microbes consistently achieved the highest soil nitrogen levels, whilst microbial addition improved nitrogen concentrations and uptake in grain and straw across relevant treatment pairs. The findings suggest that microbial biofertilisers can optimise nutrient cycling in integrated farming systems where organic and synthetic nitrogen sources are combined.
Regional applicability
The findings may have limited direct applicability to UK wheat production, which typically operates at higher baseline nitrogen inputs and different soil temperatures and moisture regimes than the semi-arid conditions of Malakand Division, Pakistan. However, the principles of using microbial inoculants to improve nitrogen use efficiency in integrated systems could merit investigation in UK organic and low-input arable farming contexts.
Key measures
Grain nitrogen concentration, straw nitrogen concentration, grain total nitrogen, straw total nitrogen, total nitrogen uptake, total soil nitrogen, soil mineral nitrogen
Outcomes reported
The study measured grain and straw nitrogen concentrations, total nitrogen uptake by wheat, and soil nitrogen availability (total and mineral forms) across treatments combining urea, farm yard manure (FYM), poultry manure (PM), and beneficial microbial inoculants over two consecutive growing seasons.
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