Thesis (BS Biology) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2006

The responses of thirty-two transplanted sago palm suckers collected from Agusan del Sur were determined on either marsh or garden soil amended with bacteria within a 12-week growth period after a two-month acclimatization in marsh soil. Growth response was assessed based on percent survivability, rate of plant girth increase, rate of leaf emergence, leaf color rating and overall health status (based on a devised rating scale). Treatment with either only rhizospheric soil microbes (natural microflora of sago palm) or combined rhizospheric and garden sil microbes exhibited the highest rate of leaf emergence (0.59 leaf/month and 0.67 leaf/month, respectively), color rating (?5? or green) and health status rating (?4? or 10% of leaf surface area has insect bites/chlorosis/leaf spots/mechanical damage). Suckers grown with their natural rhizospheric microbes exhibited the highest percent survival (100%0 and plant girth increase (0.1040 cm/wk). on the other hand, suckers grown in garden soil singly inoculated with the bacterial strain Rh1-MS-CO, Rh2-MS-CO or Rh3-MS-CO responded poorly and did not differ significantly with those having no microbial amendment. Moreover, the proportion of nitrogen-fixing bacteria (on Nitrogen-free Combined C Medium) obtained from soil was highest for the treatment grown combined rhizospheric and garden soil microbes. The above results reveal that rhizospheric soil microbes are essential in the growth of acclimatized and transplanted sago palm suckers under screenhouse conditions. The results also show that the presence of a high population of soil nitrogen-fixers is essential to promote good growth. However, a high proportion of nitrogen-fixers against the total heterotrophs may not be required promote the best growth