Vegetative Growth of Maize Following Bacillus Thuringiensis Suspension Application

Christina Leta Salaki; Henny Vianne Gretha  Makal; Yefta  Pamandungan

doi:10.35791/jat.v7i3.70428

Authors

Christina Leta Salaki Plant Protection Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Sam Ratulangi University
Henny Vianne Gretha Makal Plant Protection Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Sam Ratulangi University
Yefta Pamandungan Agronomy Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Sam Ratulangi University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35791/jat.v7i3.70428

Keywords:

Bacterial inoculant, Biofertilizer, Leaf number, Plant height, Zea mays

Abstract

Microbial inoculants are being evaluated as complementary options for supporting maize (Zea mays L.) growth, but responses to different application volumes of Bacillus thuringiensis remain insufficiently characterized under pot cultivation. This study assessed maize vegetative growth following application of a bacterial suspension. The experiment was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado, Indonesia, from May to August 2026. Six treatment levels were reported: a control and five bacterial suspension treatments (P1–P5), corresponding to nominal volumes of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 mL of suspension per 10 mL of water, respectively, with four replicates per treatment. Plant height and recorded leaf number were used as vegetative growth indicators. Mean plant height ranged from 192.3 cm in the control to 246.3 cm in P5, a difference of 54.0 cm (28.1%). P4 reached 238.5 cm, whereas P1–P3 ranged from 193.3 to 201.8 cm. Recorded leaf number ranged from 3.0 in the control to 4.0 under P3–P5. Because the underlying analysis-of-variance results and measures of dispersion were not available for verification, treatment differences were interpreted descriptively rather than as statistically significant effects. The observed pattern suggests an association between bacterial suspension treatment and maize vegetative characteristics. Clarification of experimental records and further evaluation are needed before recommending an application level or inferring effects on soil fertility, pest suppression, or grain yield.

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