Studies have suggested that microorganisms in the rhizosphere have the potential to improve soil fertility without causing any environmental problems. Previous studies have shown a synergistic interaction between these microorganisms and foliar bio-fertilizers as an acceptable practice for improving maize and soybean growth and yield in the arid agro-climate of Korhogo, Northern Côte d'Ivoire. In this study, we developed an R software-based curve-fitting model to establish maize agro-morphometric parameters that respond well to the treatment combining the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens and foliar bio-fertilizer in the process of improving maize growth. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the performance of the combination of P. fluorescens and foliar bio-fertilizer in selectively improving maize growth parameters. The findings showed that the combination significantly predicts improvements in maize agro-morphometric parameters, particularly height and leaf length. In other words, the combination of P. fluorescens and foliar bio-fertilizer significantly predicts improvements in maize plant height and leaf length compared to the standard soil condition (p < 0.05). ROC analysis indicated that the combination of P. fluorescens and foliar bio-fertilizer performed acceptably in improving maize crops in arid soil, specifically in terms of (i) maize height and (ii) maize leaf length. In conclusion, the ROC and R curve fitting surveys highlighted the activities of P. fluorescens combined with foliar bio-fertilizer as an effective and non-polluting practice for selectively improving maize crop development in Northern Côte d'Ivoire.  

 

Key words: Rhizobacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens, foliar bio-fertilizer, maize, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), R fitting curve.