application/pdf 672287 bytes 2025 info:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceProceedings Improvement of carrot seed germination by Bacillus spp. isolates All rights reserved eng Abstract: Carrots (Daucus carota L.) are horticultural plants that are cultivated on large agricultural areas for human consumption. Recently, various plant growthpromoting (PGP) bacteria have been used to improve the germination of seeds of different plant species. In this study, we investigated the impact of different Bacillus isolates on the germination of carrot seeds with the aim to identify beneficial bacteria that could enhance seedling emergence, by using the filter paper method. The carrot seeds were treated with four different PGP Bacillus isolates (BHC 4.7, BHC 5.1, BHC 5.6 and BHC 7.6), while the untreated seeds were used as the control treatment. After 14 days of incubation at room temperature, the number of germinated/ungerminated seeds was determined and the relative seed germination index (RSGI%) was calculated. The highest RSGI value was recorded for carrot seeds treated with BHC 4.7 (108.04%), while similar results were also recorded for the BHC 7.6 treatment (104.44%). In addition, BHC 5.1 and BHC 5.6 treatments had no effect on improving carrot seed germination. Our results show that the use of various bacterial isolates such as BHC 4.7 and BHC 7.6 can be a natural alternative to chemical treatments to improve carrot seed germination. https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:7732 cobiss:168629001 ISBN: 978-86-6275-176-8 Book of Abstracts: 15th Symposium on the Flora of Southeastern Serbia and Neighboring Regions, Niš, 23th to 25th May 2025 startpage: 180 endpage: 180 Maksimović, Jelena Buzurović, Uroš Buntić, Aneta Đikanović, Nikola Pavlović, Jelena Milinković, Mira Knežević, Magdalena