Barley (BARI barley-5) was sown in two locations on 06 and 08 December 2017 at the central farm of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur and central farm of RARS, Ishurdi. The experiment was designed in the randomized complete block with 2 factors (P fertilizer doses and inoculation) having 3 replications in each treatment. Five fertilizer doses were 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of P fertilizer and with/without inoculation. Unit plot size was 3 m × 2 m. There were10 treatments combination. The combinations were, T1: I0P0, T2: I0P1, T3: I0P2, T4: I0P3, T5: I0P4, T6: I1P0, T7: I1P1, T8: I1P2, T9: I1P3, T10: I1P4 where Io means without inoculation, I1 means with inoculation and P0, P1, P2, P3, P5 means P fertilizer at the rate of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Basic doses of fertilizer were 20-7-17-3 kg N-P-K-S ha-1. All the fertilizers except N were applied as basal at final land preparation. T1: I0P0, T2: I0P1, T3: I0P2, T4: I0P3, T5: I0P4, T6: I1P0, T7: I1P1, T8: I1P2, T9: I1P3, T10: I1P4 where Io means without inoculation, I1 means with inoculation and P0, P1, P2, P3, P5 means P fertilizer at the rate of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Basic doses of fertilizer were 20-7-17-3 kg N-P-K-S ha-1. All the fertilizers except N were applied as basal at final land preparation. N was applied in three equal splits at 20, 40 and 60 days after sowing. The source of fertilizer was N from urea, P from TSP, K from MoP and S from gypsum. Peat based phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) inoculum @ 1.5 kg ha-1 was used for seed inoculation. Peat based
PSB inoculum was used containing about 108 cells g-1 inoculum. During the course of the experiment growth and development of plants in the field were carefully observed. For the recording of data 10 randomly selected plants were uprooted from each unit plot. Barley plants were harvested at 15 April, 20 April 2018 at Gazipur and Ishurdi, respectively. Data on plant height, spike length, root length, shoot length, 1000-grain weight (g), a number of grains spike-1, seed yield and stover yield were also taken. All data were analyzed statistically.
Methods of chemical analysis: Soil pH was measured by a combined glass calomel electrode (Jackson, 1958). Organic carbon was determined by wet oxidation method (Walkley and Black). Total N was determined by the modified Kjeldahl method. Calcium, K and Mg were determined by NH4OAc extraction method. Copper, Fe, Mn and Zn were determined by DTPA extraction followed by AAS reading. Boron was determined by CaCl2 extraction method. Phosphorus was determined by the Modified Olsen method (Neutral + Calcareous soils) and Bray and kurtz method (acidic soil). Sulphur was determined by CaH4(PO4)2.H2O extraction followed by turbidimetric turbidity method with BaCl2. PSB population status was determined by the plate counting method.