Bioresource Efficacy of Phosphate Rock,Sulfur, and Thiobacillus Inoculum in Improving Soil Phosphorus Availability

In order to improve the effectiveness of phosphate rock as phosphorus fertilizer, elemental sulfur and Thiobacillus have been evaluated as amendments. First, Thiobacillus was isolated from different soil samples. Then, a greenhouse pot experiment was conducted using a completely randomized factorial design with three factors included: elemental sulfur at four levels of 0, 1000, 2000, and 5000 mg kg^?1; phosphate rock at three levels of 0, 1000 and 2000 mg kg^?1; four Thiobacillus inoculums (T₁, T₂, T₃, T₄) and without inoculation (T₀) in three replications. Results showed that all the four Thiobacillus inoculums increased significantly extractable soil-P. Combined application of phosphate rock and sulfur in equal proportion (1:1) along with inoculum Thiobacillus had a significant effect in improving phosphorus availability in soil. Combined application of sulfur (at rates of 1000 and 2000 mg kg^–1) and Thiobacillus significantly increased phosphorus uptake by plants as compared to the control.