• Prasann Kumar
• Yaman
• Chandramohan Mehta

Barley is an important cereal crop all over the world. Among cereals, it ranks fourth concerning area and production after wheat, rice and maize. Barley is generally grown in the Northern plains of India which is commonly used in breads, soups, health products and also grown as a fodder crop. It can also be utilized as a source of malt for alcoholic beverages. In India UP, Rajasthan, MP, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K are the major states for barley cultivation. It is a very hardy crop, which can survive in saline or alkaline soils and grow well even in the areas where there is low rainfall. Inoculation of Azospirillum with barley seeds and foliar application of iron helps in better crop growth and development. Azospirillum is associative symbiont or bio-fertilizer, which can fix atmospheric dinitrogen, convert it into an available form, and provide for the plants. The term biofertilizers refer to the organic source of fertilizers, which fulfil the nutritional requirements of a crop through microbiological means. Azospirillum can be used under both field condition and greenhouse condition in tropical as well as in temperate climatic condition. For the biological nitrogen fixation, the enzyme nitrogenase complex plays the key role, which converts atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia and also associated in the reduction of protons to H2. The activity of this enzyme is influenced by soil moisture, pH, temperature and very sensitive to oxygen presence. Fe and Mo act as co-factor for this enzyme and very important for its proper functioning. Deficiency of these nutrients in soil or plants leads to the reduced activity of this enzyme. Foliar application of Fe on barley crop meets its requirement particularly when a crop is grown under alkaline soil. In plants, iron is also involved in chlorophyll synthesis, maintenance of chloroplast structure and function. Several studies represent the foliar application of iron on barley increases crop growth and development, which results in an enhancement in crop yield. In modern agriculture, farmers have been used a large amount of inorganic fertilizer, which disturbs the nutrient stability in soil and also reduces microbial activity. Thus, soil fertility is reduced at a very high rate. Hence, integrated use of an inorganic form of nitrogenous fertilizers and organic source, which is bio-fertilizer, is present-day need to maintain sustainability in agriculture.

Azospirillum, Alkaline, Barley, Co-factor, Enzyme, Fixation, Iron, Nitrogen, Nitrogenase, Oxygen

"EFFECT OF AZOSPIRILLUM AND FOLIAR APPLICATION OF IRON (Fe) ON GROWTH AND YIELD ATTRIBUTES OF BARLEY", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 2, page no.373-393, February-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIREL06061.pdf

"EFFECT OF AZOSPIRILLUM AND FOLIAR APPLICATION OF IRON (Fe) ON GROWTH AND YIELD ATTRIBUTES OF BARLEY", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 2, page no. pp373-393, February-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIREL06061.pdf