Effect of growth promoting bacteria on the fertilization of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas Lam)

An alternative to reduce the effect of chemical fertilization on soils and favor the growth of sweet potato crops is the incorporation of microorganisms that promote plant growth in fertilization. In the Colombian Caribbean, sweet potato is currently one of the emerging crops due to its high nutritional properties in the human diet. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two bacterial strains, Pseudomonas denitrificans IBVS2 and Azotobacter vinelandii IBVS13, on the yield of sweet potato clone Tainung 66 in field conditions, in the Valle del Sinú, Córdoba, Colombia. The research was carried out during second semester of 2017, at the Turipaná-Agrosavia Research Center, using apical cuttings from the Tainung 66 clone. A randomized complete block design with a 3x2+2 factorial arrangement was implemented, physiological component, foliar and edaphic chemical analysis, yield and bromatological composition variables were evaluated. The results showed that yield and dry root mass showed significant differences with respect to the chemical control when fertilization consisted of IBVS2 strain plus 50% of chemical fertilizer, obtaining a yield of 11.32 t.ha-1 and 5,78 t.ha-1 respectively. These results showed that inoculation of PGPRs constitutes an alternative for sweet potatoes cultivation with positive effects when compared to complete chemical fertilization.