Speakers - 2025

Faced with persistent soil degradation in Benin due to poor agricultural practices, including excessive use of chemical fertilizers, there is an urgent need to seek solutions incorporating microorgnisms of interest. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of inoculum from Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on the coating of two maize varieties after conservation. The study was conducted at the Research Center of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest. The experimental set-up was a randomized block of six treatments with three replications. The in vitro germination test was carried out in circular petri dishes sterilized at 120°C for 20 min in an autoclave. Disinfected maize seeds were incubated at 27°C to 30°C with 70% humidity and a 13h photoperiod for seven days. Growth parameters were measured daily. Germination percentage, seedling and root length and dry weight of germinated seeds were determined. The results obtained showed that the inoculated seeds, including the control, induced good germination, ranging from 86.66% to 100%. Seedling and root development of maize seeds coated and kept for 6 and 9 days respectively with the QPM FAABA and Synée 2000 varieties showed the best performance. On the other hand, the highest dry weight of germinated seeds (5.40 g) was obtained with QPM FAABA maize seeds coated and kept for 9 days. These results show that maize seeds coated and kept for 6 and 9 days improved germination parameters in vitro. It would be desirable to continue the study in the greenhouse with a view to making coated maize seeds available to farmers.