Effect of Some Soil Mineral Levels on Their Contents in Different Plant Parts and on the Yield of Chickpea-Rhizobium Symbioses

Abstract

Chickpea is a legume with high nutritional value. It is mainly grown in arid and semi-arid areas soils, which are characterized by a deficiency in mineral elements, a severe water deficit and a poor soil quality. Our work aims to evaluate the effect of different mineral elements in the soil on nodular biomass, growth and yield of chickpea. The physico-chemical analyses of the soil and the agronomical and physiological parameters showed that the level of available phosphorus in the soil positively affected the growth parameters in the chickpea studied plants. Our results also confirmed the positive effect of adequate plant P nutrition on yield. Indeed, among the studied fields, agricultural soil 7 presented the highest potassium content and seeds yield (12.87 mg/g DM and 62 seeds per plant, respectively). In parallel, soil 7 recorded the highest value of available phosphorus 23.52 ppm. On the contrary, soil 5 was the least rich in P content (6.73 ppm). A positive correlation was recorded between the sodium concentration in the soil and in the aerial parts (<i>r </i>=0.73). The results also showed that the aerial part was richer in calcium than the root part and the nodules. Moreover, other positive correlations were recorded between the calcium concentration in the soil and in the aerial part and in the root part (<i>r </i>=0.76 and <i>r </i>=0.54; respectively).