Effect of Trichoderma Enriched Biofertilizer on Rice Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency under Salinity Stress

Abstract

Salinity restricts rice growth and nutrient acquisition and can reduce nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This pot experiment evaluated Trichoderma enriched biofertilizer, urea, and their combined application for rice (Oryza sativa) under saline conditions. BR 29 rice was grown in 21 pots using a completely randomized design (CRD) with seven treatments and three replications. The treatments included control and Trichoderma enriched biofertilizer, urea, or their combination under 85 and 140 mM salinity. Plant growth, yield attributes, macronutrient uptake, apparent NUE, and agronomic NUE were assessed. Treatment responses differed across the two salinity levels. The combined Trichoderma enriched biofertilizer and urea treatment under 85 mM salinity (T3S1) produced the highest recorded growth and yield responses, including a plant height of 101 cm, and showed the greatest shoot uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This treatment also recorded the highest apparent and agronomic NUE values, 6.00 and 12.47, respectively. At 140 mM salinity, growth, yield, and NUE were generally lower, and the urea-only treatment (T5S2) produced no grain. Overall, combining Trichoderma enriched biofertilizer with urea gave the most favorable rice performance under the moderate salinity treatment used in this experiment. Because the study was conducted in pots, field-scale validation is required before broader agronomic conclusions are drawn.