Table 1. Effects of novel bio-inoculants on bacterial population in rhizosphere and iron & zinc content in the shoot of wheat in a pot trial.

Treatments	Bacterial population (cfu × 104)		Fe content (mg kg-1)		Zn content (mg kg-1)
	Trial I	Trial II	Trial I	Trial II	Trial I	Trial II
Control	38.7 e	40.3 f	10.02 i	10.21 e	14.10 f	13.64 d
ZM27	39.3 e	41.7 ef	10.34 hi	10.46 de	14.23 ef	13.72 d
ZM31	39.3 e	42.3 ef	10.59 f-h	10.54 c-e	14.21 f	13.80 d
ZM63	40.3 de	42.3 ef	10.69 e-h	10.55 c-e	14.45 d-f	13.84 d
S10	41.0 de	41.0 ef	10.53 gh	10.65 b-e	14.32 ef	14.00 cd
ZM27+ZM31	41.0 de	42.3 ef	10.55 gh	10.71 b-d	14.68 de	14.15 b-d
ZM27+ZM63	41.7 de	44.0 d-f	10.55 gh	10.68 b-d	14.31 ef	14.09 b-d
ZM27+S10	45.0 b-d	49.7 ab	11.51 a	11.05 ab	15.53 ab	14.71 a
ZM31+ZM63	42.7 c-e	45.0 c-e	10.79 d-h	10.75 a-d	15.43 ab	14.39 a-c
ZM31+S10	43.7 c-e	45.0 c-e	10.72 e-h	10.80 a-d	14.85 cd	14.53 ab
ZM63+S10	43.3 c-e	47.0 b-d	11.02 b-f	10.67 b-e	14.86 cd	14.50 a-c
ZM27+ZM31+ZM63	45.0 b-d	49.3 a-c	10.94 c-g	10.72 b-d	15.43 ab	14.52 ab
ZM27+ZM31+S10	44.0 c-e	50.7ab	11.09 a-e	10.74 b-d	15.24 bc	14.59 ab
ZM27+ZM63+S10	48.0 a-c	53.7 a	11.42 ab	11.22 a	15.79 a	14.86 a
ZM31+ZM63+S10	50.7 a	49.7 ab	11.23 a-d	10.96 a-c	15.46 ab	14.68 a
ZM27+ZM31+ZM63+S10	49.7 ab	48.7 bc	11.29 a-c	10.80 a-d	15.50 ab	14.76 a
LSD (p≤0.05)	5.3463	4.3937	0.4697	0.4698	0.4651	0.5198

Data are present as mean of three replicates. Means followed by same letter(s) within a column are statistically similar (p≤0.05). cfu; colony forming unit.