Improvement of rice seedling growth and nitrogen use efficiency by seed inoculation with endophytic denitrifiers

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of seed inoculation with endophytic denitrifiers on rice seedling growth and nitrogen use efficiency under low- and high-urea conditions. Pseudomonas sp. B2, Streptomyces sp. A9, and Fusarium sp. F3 were isolated from rice plant tissues. Rice seeds inoculated with the denitrifiers were sown in soil fertilized with 100 and 300 mg/kg urea concentrations, respectively. The denitrifiers increased soil ammonia concentrations or kept high ammonia concentration for a longer time in soils. However, soil nitrate concentrations with the denitrifier treatments were lower than that of the control. All the denitrifier treatments increased the chlorophyll content by more than 200% under the low urea condition. Compared to the control, the denitrifier inoculation treatments significantly increased shoot length, fresh weight, and dry weight of rice seedlings under the low- and high-urea conditions (P < 0.05). The chlorophyll concentrations, shoot length, wet weight, and dry weight of all the denitrifier treatments under the low urea fertilization were significantly higher than those of the control under the high-urea fertilization (P < 0.05). The nitrogen use efficiency of rice seedlings might be attributable to nitrate reductases of the denitrifiers, acting as the rice nitrate reductase. The treatment of endophytic denitrifiers significantly improved rice seedling growth and nitrogen use efficiency under both low- and high-urea conditions.