SCREENING OF SALT TOLERANT RHIZOBIA FROM GROUNDNUT IN CUDDALORE DISTRICT OF TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Abstract

Salinity seriously constrains crop yield in irrigated agriculture throughout the world. Also, salinity is a serious threat to agriculture in arid and semi arid regions. Nearly 10 % of the world’s land surface can be classified as endangered by salinity. Salinity in the soil and irrigation water is an environmental problem and a major constraint for crop production. Currently, 20 % of the world’s cultivated land is affected by salinity, which results in the loss of 50 % of agricultural yield. At present, there are nearly 954 million hectares of saline soils on the earth’s surface. All these salt affected soils are distributed throughout the world. The salinity response of legumes in general varies greatly depending on factors like climatic conditions, soil properties, salt tolerance and the stages of crop growth. Successful cultivation of legumes can be achieved by the selection and/or development of a salt-tolerant legume Rhizobium combination although high salinities are known to affect rhizobial activities. The aim of present study is the effect of strains of salt tolerant Rhizobia on IAA, EPS, nodule ARA activity, Nitrogen content, leghemoglobin content, siderophore production, IAR and salt concentration of Groundnut on coastal area of Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu. The GNR CD-4 is the effect salt tolerance strain compared to other strains.