MICROBIAL INOCULANTS APPLIED AS SEED TREATMENTS AND THEIR EFFECT ON COMMON WHEAT Triticum aestivum L.

Wheat is considered the most wide spread culture in the world regarding the area harvested. In Romania, it is grown on approximately 25% of the arable land and 40% of the cereal grains. Improving wheat productivity and yield quality is a continuous concern. Therefore, plant growth promoting microorganisms with biocontrol potential are of great interest for the farmers. In the present, five beneficial microorganisms, bacteria and fungi, were analysed as agro-inoculants. Their effect on wheat germination and growth initiation was evaluated in vitro. According to the biometric analysis best results were obtained when using Azospirillum brassilense and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strains, although Trichoderma pseudokoningii and Bacillus endophyticus also improved wheat vigour indexes, compared to the untreated control. However, B. endophyticus 1T2 strain delayed the germination process. The dual culture assay performed against Fusarium graminearum, revealed that three strains B.amyloliquefaciens OS17, BW, and T.pseudokoningii Td85, have also biocontrol potential