Cereal production in southern Chile is based on volcanic soils (Andisol) that are phosphorus (P) deficient for plant nutrition. Phytate-mineralizing rhizobacteria (PMR) have been suggested as soil inoculants to improve P uptake and growth of plants cultivated in P-deficient soils. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of inoculation with PMR (Bacillus sp. N1-19NA, Enterobacter sp. N0-29PA, Pseudomonas sp.N1-55PA and Serratia sp. N0-10LB) on biomass and

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... uptake of cereal plants (wheat, oat and barley) grown in a Chilean Andisol with out P fertilization. Results showed that inoculation with Enterobacter sp. N0-29PA significantly (P≤0.05) increased the biomass and Puptake of oat plants. Changes in rhizosphere properties as soil enzyme activities (acid phosphatase and urease), and auxin production potential were also produced by Enterobacter sp. N0-29PA inoculation. Despite the possible value, Enterobacter sp. N0-29PA as a soil inoculant for P-deficient soils, other PMR assayed did not consistently enhanced biomass and P uptake of plants. In addtion, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) combined with non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) analysis revealed that PMR inoculation induced changes in rhizobacterial community composition, suggesting that PMR application substantially modify the microbiological characteristics of rhizosphere. However, long-term studies at field level are still needed to practical use of PMR as inoculants in Chilean Andisols.