The effect of microbial inoculants on yield performance of sorghum as intercrop in maize under rainfed conditions in Northern Karnataka on a clay loam soil was studied with various treatment combinations including cropping systems and seed priming treatments during kharif,2007. Among priming treatments, bio-priming (15.28 ?g TPF g soil-1 day-1) and combination of all priming methods (15.16 ?g TPF g soil-1 day-1) recorded significantly higher dehydrogenase activity than farmers practice (13.88 ?g TPF g soil-1 day-1). Similar results were obtained in urease and phosphatase activity and also percent root colonization of VAM fungi. Yield of sorghum in sole cropping (32.94 q ha-1) was higher than in intercropping (19.39 q ha-1). Among the priming treatments, bio-priming (29.48 q ha-1) and combination of all priming methods (29.59 q ha-1) were superior to farmers practice (24.96 q ha-1).