Looking at the effects of biofertilizers on tomato yield
HortiDaily
2025.10.09
Beneficial bacteria, especially Bacillus species, are increasingly being utilized as biofertilizers to promote plant growth and development. However, the meta-analysis of Bacillus species that have a biofertilizing effect on tomato yield parameters is not well understood.
The objective of the study is to use meta-analytical procedure to resolve uncertainty, identify knowledge gaps, and create new insights using the results of published studies on the biofertilizer effect of Bacillus spp. on yield characteristics of tomato. A comprehensive search of Litmaps yielded 398 articles, of which 15 were used in the meta-analysis. All the analyses were carried out using OpenMEE software and a random-effects model was used.
Standardised mean differences (SMD) between tomato yield with and without Bacillus biofertilizer were computed to determine the effect magnitude. The findings showed a significant effect of Bacillus spp. on fruit number (SMD = 1.914; 95% CI 1.432, 2.395; p < 0.001), fruit weight (SMD = 2.08; 95% CI 1.42, 2.73; p < 0.001), fruit length (SMD = 0.96; 95% CI 0.27, 1.64 p = 0.530) and fruit diameter (SMD = 1.39; 95% CI 0.29, 2.48; p = 0.025) with evidence of significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0–80.60%).
Beneficial bacteria, especially Bacillus species, are increasingly being utilized as biofertilizers to promote plant growth and development. However, the meta-analysis of Bacillus species that have a biofertilizing effect on tomato yield parameters is not well understood.
The objective of the study is to use meta-analytical procedure to resolve uncertainty, identify knowledge gaps, and create new insights using the results of published studies on the biofertilizer effect of Bacillus spp. on yield characteristics of tomato. A comprehensive search of Litmaps yielded 398 articles, of which 15 were used in the meta-analysis. All the analyses were carried out using OpenMEE software and a random-effects model was used.
Standardised mean differences (SMD) between tomato yield with and without Bacillus biofertilizer were computed to determine the effect magnitude. The findings showed a significant effect of Bacillus spp. on fruit number (SMD = 1.914; 95% CI 1.432, 2.395; p < 0.001), fruit weight (SMD = 2.08; 95% CI 1.42, 2.73; p < 0.001), fruit length (SMD = 0.96; 95% CI 0.27, 1.64 p = 0.530) and fruit diameter (SMD = 1.39; 95% CI 0.29, 2.48; p = 0.025) with evidence of significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0–80.60%).
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