Abstract
Achieving food and nutritional security is a major challenge in Ethiopia, especially with increasing human population and low crop productivity. Legumes offer an alternative choice to chemical fertilizers for increasing crop yields. The aim of this study was to assess, under glasshouse conditions, plant growth and symbiotic performance of uninoculated soybean genotypes planted in soils collected from different locations in Ethiopia. The results showed significant differences in plant growth and symbiotic performance among the soybean genotypes planted in different soils. There was a location-specific effect of soil on plant growth and symbiotic N nutrition of soybean. Whole-plant biomass was highest in soil from Amaro, followed by Boricha, Dorebafano, Pawe, and Mambuk. The δ15N values ranged from +0.82‰ for Pawe to +5.11‰ at Dorebafano. However, %Ndfa of soybean was greater in plants grown in Mambuk soil, followed by Pawe with the lowest %Ndfa being in Amaro soil. The amount of N-fixed followed similar pattern as %Ndfa. The significant interaction found between soil type and soybean genotype for plant DM, shoot N concentration, δ15N, %Ndfa, N-fixed and soil N-uptake clearly indicated the effect of soil factors. This study revealed the presence of native rhizobia in Ethiopian soils that are compatible with soybean. The N contribution of the soybean genotypes was variable, and strongly influenced by the soil factors.
Highlights
Legumes are used to prepare biodegradable plastics, oils, gums, dyes and ink (Graham and Vance 2003)
The soil samples used in this study were collected from five locations within the soybean-growing areas of Ethiopia. maro, Boricha and Dorebafano are located in the Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia, an area found between geographical coordinates 4° 43′ and 8° 58′ N and 34° 88′ and 39° 14′ E
%Ndfa 1⁄4 ÂÂδδ1155NNrreeff−−Bδ1v5NalluegeÃÃ x 100; Where δ15Nref is the 15N natural abundance of non-N2 fixing reference plant, δ15Nleg is the 15N natural abundance of the legume, and B value is 15N natural abundance of soybean plants which were solely dependent on symbiotic N2 fixation for their N nutrition
Summary
Legumes are used to prepare biodegradable plastics, oils, gums, dyes and ink (Graham and Vance 2003). Presented at the 17th African Association of Biological Nitrogen Fixation (AABNF) Biennial Conference, Gaborone, Botswana, 17–21 October 2016 Ethiopia, legume crops such as lentil, faba bean, common bean and chick pea constitute the staple food of the people and are part of the local culinary culture. Legumes are cultivated as an intercrop, or in rotation with cereal crops (e.g. maize, sorghum and millet) in order to restore soil fertility. Despite their importance, legume crop yields have remained low relative to cereals, especially in developing countries (Graham and Vance 2003; Siddique et al 2011) due largely to low funding for legume research in Africa
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