Rhizobium Inoculation Research Articles

Community-based approaches to support the anchoring of climate-smart agriculture in Tanzania

We assess the impact of community-based approaches to promote adoption of integrated climate smart agriculture (CSA) practices based on soybean cultivation combined with mulching, intercropping, crop rotation, manure application and rhizobium inoculation methods. We use quasi-experimental data of farmers participating in Farmer Field Business Schools (FFBS) and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) in Iringa region of Tanzania. Farmers received technical training and financial support for the initial adoption of soybean production, and women's empowerment supported household's continuous involvement in CSA practices. We find a positive effect for farmers participating in the trainings provided by the FFBSs and receiving microfinance services from VLSA members on the adoption rates of several CSA practices, and this effect became more pronounced for households with higher scores on women empowerment. Farm-level improvement in soybean production and market-level incentives for soybean sales should also strengthen household income, consumption and nutrition levels to maintain CSA practices. Community-based platforms create critical external conditions for introducing CSA practices, but women's empowerment is indispensable for intrinsic incentives for anchoring their adoption.

Response of Black Gram Crop to Rhizobacteria

Field experiments were conducted during summer seasons in two consecutive years (2020-21 and 2021-22) at Experimental Farm of College of Agriculture, Tripura to find out the best Rhizobacteria inoculants for stimulation of nodulation and increasing yield of blackgram crop. From the findings of two years’ experiment, it can be noted that inoculation of Rhizobium significantly increased the number and dry mass of nodules (32.8 plant-1 and 35.8 mg plant-1 at 30 DAS), plant dry mass (26.8 g plant-1) and grain yield (861.3 kg ha-1) of black gram. Azotobacter chroococcum alone and with Rhizobium numerically favoured the nodulation (29.6 and 34.2 plant-1 respectively) in black gram. Rhizobium + A. chroococcum treatment produced significantly more plant dry mass (29.6 g plant-1) and grain yield (930.6 kg ha-1) of black gram over the uninoculated control (23.2 g plant-1 and 747.9 kg ha-1 respectively) and Rhizobium alone, respectively. Bacillus sp. in conjunction with Rhizobium were statistically comparable to Rhizobium alone inoculation in respect of nodule mass and grain yield. All the three inoculants together gave the 890.3 kg ha-1 black gram yield which was statistically comparable to Rhizobium + A. chroococcum in black gram. So, from the results of experiment, it can be concluded that dual inoculation of black gram seeds with Rhizobium + A. chroococcum promotes significant nodulation of black gram crop with in turn increases the plant biomass and seed yield of summer blackgram crop.

Efffects of Rhizobium Inoculation, Sulphur and Zinc Nutrients on Yield and Yield Componets of Chickpea (Cicer aritienum L.) at Gewane, Northeastern Ethiopia


 The goal of this study was to see how a combination of Rhizobium inoculant, S, and Zn nutrients affected chickpea nodulation and yield (Cicer arientinum L.) at Gewane, northeastern Ethiopia. The experiment included 12 treatments arranged in factorial combination of levels of inoculation (Rhizobium inoculated, un-inoculated), three rates of S (0, 15, 30 kg Sulphur ha-1) and rates of Zn (0, 1.5 kg Zinc ha-1). The treatment becomes laid out in randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Analysis of variance showed that yield and yield associated parameters (main branches, number of pod, quantity of seed, hundred seed weight, grain and straw yield), crop phenology (days to 50% flowering and days to physiological maturity), nodulation scores (nodule amount, nodule volume, nodule dry weight, effective nodule and nodulation score), N and P uptake at both locations had been significantly affected by the treatments. The best (1775.5 kg ha-1) suggest rate of seed yield over locations changed into acquired from blended costs of rhizobium and 30 kg S ha-1 which led to 28 % (389 kg ha-1) growth over the control. Consequently, rhizobium inoculation with rate of 30 kg S ha-1is recommended for chickpea production on the experimental site.

Potential Nitrogen Contributions by Tropical Legume Summer Cover Crops in Mediterranean-Type Cropping Systems

Legume cover crops in temperate cropping systems can fix substantial amounts of nitrogen (N) and reduce N fertiliser requirements for subsequent crops. However, little is known about potential biological N2 fixation by summer cover crop legumes in the short summer fallow in Mediterranean-type cropping systems. Six legume species (balansa clover, barrel medic, mung bean, sunn hemp, lablab and cowpea) were grown for 8–9 weeks in the field in semi-arid southern Australia during the summer fallow, and in a glasshouse experiment, to estimate N2 fixation using the 15N natural abundance method. Cowpea, sunn hemp and lablab produced 1.2–3.0 t ha−1 biomass in the field while balansa clover and barrel medic produced < 1.0 t ha−1. The percent of N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) in the field ranged from 39% in barrel medic to 73% in sunn hemp, but only 15% (balansa clover) to 33% (sunn hemp) in the glasshouse experiment, likely due to higher soil mineral N availability in the glasshouse study. Biological N2 fixation of cowpea and sunn hemp in the field was 46–55 kg N ha−1, while N2 fixation in lablab and mung bean was lower (around 26 kg N ha−1). The N2 fixation in cowpea and sunn hemp of around 50 kg N ha−1 with supplementary irrigation in the field trial likely represents the upper limit of N contributions in the field in typically hot, dry summer conditions in Mediterranean-type climates. Given that any increase in summer cover crop biomass will have implications for water balances and subsequent cash crop growth, maximising N benefits of legume cover crops will rely on increasing the %Ndfa through improved rhizobium strains or inoculation technologies. This study provides the first known estimates of biological N2 fixation by legume cover crops in the summer fallow period in cropping systems in Mediterranean-type environments, providing a benchmark for further studies.

Effect of Different Cover Crops on Suppression of the Weed Oxalis pes-caprae L., Soil Nutrient Availability, and the Performance of Table Olive Trees ‘Kalamon’ cv. in Crete, Greece

Winter cover crops are used in organic olive production to increase N-supply and yields, and to reduce weed competition. However, there is limited information on the effect of different cover crops on weed suppression, soil fertility and productivity of organic olive orchards. Here, we compared the relative effect of four contrasting cover crops established from (i) untreated vetch seed, (ii) vetch seed inoculated with a commercial Rhizobium seed inoculum, (iii) an untreated vetch/barley/pea seed mixture and (iv) untreated seed of Medicago polymorpha L. (a native legume species which establishes naturally in olive orchards in Crete) in a 35-year-old experimental table olive orchard. The use of a vetch/barley/pea mixture resulted in the greatest suppression of the dominant weed species Oxalis pes-caprae. Rhizobium inoculation of vetch seed resulted in significantly lower vetch establishment and significantly higher Oxalis suppression but had no significant effect on the root nodulation of vetch plants. There was no significant difference in fruit yield between cover crop treatments, but the fruit weight was significantly higher when cover crops were established from un-treated vetch seeds and the vetch/barley/pea seed mixture compared with the cover crops based on inoculated vetch or Medicago seed. However, although Medicago establishment was very low (<10 plants/m2), fruit yields were numerically 20% higher in the Medicago plots. These findings suggests that, overall, legume cover crops had no effect on fruit yields. This conclusion is supported by the results of the olive leaf analyses which detected no significant differences in nitrogen and other mineral macro- and micronutrient concentration between treatments, except for B (highest in olive leaves from Medicago and lowest in untreated vetch plots) and Mo (highest in olive leaves from Medicago and lowest in vetch/barley/pea mixture plots). Overall, our results suggest that the current recommendation to establish legume-based cover crops in organic olive orchards every year, may need to be revised and that establishing cover crops every 2–4 years may reduce costs without affecting olive fruit yields.

Impact of Moisture Conservation Practices, Seed Inoculation and Zinc Level on Growth and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2020-21 and 2021-22. The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design with 27 treatment combination comprising of three moisture conservation practices viz. flat bed with 2.5 t/ha crop residue, narrow bed and furrow with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue and broad bed and furrow with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue in main plot and three seed inoculation viz. control, rhizobium and PSB in sub plot with three zinc level viz. control, 2.5 kg Zn ha-1 and 5.0 kg Zn ha-1 in sub-sub plot. Result shows that the broad bed and furrow with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue produced significantly all growth parameters and yields attributes as compare to flat bed with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue and narrow bed and furrow with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue, respectively. The all growth parameters and yields attributes were significantly recorded higher under seed inoculation with rhizobium over PSB and control. The application of different dose of zinc produced marked significant variation in growth parameter and yield attributes when it increased up to 5.0 kg Zn ha-1. The highest yields were significantly receive in broad bed and furrow with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue over narrow bed and furrow with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue and flat bed with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue, respectively with percent increment 16.33, 24.65, 11.47 and 7.16 in respect of biological yield, grain yield, stover yield and harvest index, respectively over control in pooled data. Seed inoculation with rhizobium produced significantly higher yields parameter over control and PSB with percent increment 5.37, 7.72, 3.84 and 2.34 in biological yield, grain yield, stover yield and harvest index, respectively over control. Application of 5.0 kg Zn ha-1 were produced significantly higher yields with percent increment 6.24, 7.25, 5.56 and 1.01 over control in respect of biological yield, grain yield, stover yield and harvest index, respectively. Therefore, broad bed and furrow with 2.5 t ha-1 crop residue and rhizobium inoculation with dose of 5.0 kg Zn ha-1 were significantly superior in respect to growth and yield attributes and yields of chickpea in present investigation.

Response of Black Gram Crop to Rhizobacteria

Field experiments were conducted during summer seasons in two consecutive years (2020-21 and 2021-22) at Experimental Farm of College of Agriculture, Tripura to find out the best Rhizobacteria inoculants for stimulation of nodulation and increasing yield of blackgram crop. From the findings of two years’ experiment, it can be noted that inoculation of Rhizobium significantly increased the number and dry mass of nodules (32.8 plant-1 and 35.8 mg plant-1 at 30 DAS), plant dry mass (26.8 g plant-1) and grain yield (861.3 kg ha-1) of black gram. Azotobacter chroococcum alone and with Rhizobium numerically favoured the nodulation (29.6 and 34.2 plant-1 respectively) in black gram. Rhizobium + A. chroococcum treatment produced significantly more plant dry mass (29.6 g plant-1) and grain yield (930.6 kg ha-1) of black gram over the uninoculated control (23.2 g plant-1 and 747.9 kg ha-1 respectively) and Rhizobium alone, respectively. Bacillus sp. in conjunction with Rhizobium were statistically comparable to Rhizobium alone inoculation in respect of nodule mass and grain yield. All the three inoculants together gave the 890.3 kg ha-1 black gram yield which was statistically comparable to Rhizobium + A. chroococcum in black gram. So, from the results of experiment, it can be concluded that dual inoculation of black gram seeds with Rhizobium + A. chroococcum promotes significant nodulation of black gram crop with in turn increases the plant biomass and seed yield of summer blackgram crop.

INTERACTION OF COMPATIBLE RHIZOBIAL STRAINS WITH LENTIL VARIETIES IMPROVES SEED YIELD AND QUALITY

Lentil yield is very poor in rainfed areas of pothwar due to non-availability of improved/recommended lentil varieties compatible to some specific rhizobial inoculants along the site-specific production technology. Therefore, to study the effect of inoculating lentil varieties with different Rhizobium strains on lentil yield and quality, pot experiments were conducted in the greenhouse of University Research Farm, Koont, Chakwal Road, Rawalpindi during 2019-20 and 2020-21. Five lentil varieties (NIAB Masoor-2016, NIAB Masoor-2006, Markaz-09, Punjab Masoor-09, Punjab-11) and five rhizobial strains (RSâ‚’ (control), RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RS-4) were used. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design (CRD) with two factorial arrangement and four replications. All the agronomic recommendations were applied as such. Data regarding crop growth, yield and nodulation were collected during the experimentation. Maximum Germination % was recorded.

Prospects of rhizobial inoculant technology on Bambara groundnut crop production and growth

After peanuts and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata), the Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc) is the third most significant food legume in Africa. It is characteristically grown in marginal soils, is drought tolerant, and also has the potential for nitrogen fixation. Despite that, year-on-year Bambara groundnut yields are on a gradual decline due to a combination of abiotic and biotic stresses such as uneven annual rainfall and climate-induced changes in soil microbial community compositions, negatively impacting food security. Thus, the application of rhizobial inoculants at planting significantly improves yields in many leguminous crops. Moreover, symbiotic inoculants are well established in developed countries for improving nitrogen fixation and productivity in grain legumes. Sub-Saharan African countries, however, still under-utilise the above practice. In crop production, nitrogen (N) is the most frequently deficient nutrient since it stimulates root and shoots growth. Whereas nitrogen fertilisers can be used to supplement soil N levels, they are, however, also costly, at times inadequate, may not be timely in supply and may have deleterious environmental consequences. Hence, rhizobial inoculants are seen as a cheaper, easier, and safer method for improving N-fixation and crop productivity in grain legumes, as a result, smallholder farming systems are food secure. Thus, identifying the most efficient rhizobial strains for biofertiliser production for Bambara groundnut is of utmost importance to the farming communities.

Influence of Rhizobium inoculation and phosphate rock fertilizer application on growth and yield components of green gram in Tharaka-Nithi county, Kenya

Green gram is an important drought tolerant grain legume crop in Kenya. In Tharaka Nithi County green gram is as a major source of food security. Hence, there is need for a cheap and sustainable system of agricultural production is needed to increase its production. The legume/Rhizobium symbiosis in combination with phosphate rock offers a natural system for improving green gram nitrogen fixation. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining the effect of Rhizobium and phosphate rock fertilizer application on growth and yield attributes of N26 and KS20 varieties. The study was carried out at Chuka University Horticultural Research Farm for two seasons, November 2019 to January 2020 and February to April 2020. Factorial experiment of 2x2x2 was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). There were three factors, variety (N26 and KS20), phosphate rock (0 and 30 kg P ha-1) and Rhizobium MEA 716 (0 and 100 g ha-1). The experiment contained eight treatments which were replicated three times. The data was collected fortnightly on four randomly selected plants on parameters such as plant height, number of leaves, branches, pods, total dry biomass, shoot and root dry weight and grain yield. These data were analyzed using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS). Significant means are separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD) at probability level of 5%. Results for both seasons indicated that combined application of Rhizobium MEA 716 Rhizobium 100 g ha-1 and phosphate rock 30 Kg ha-1 phosphate under variety in treatment (R1P1KS20) showed significantly (P<0.05) higher plant height (76.07 cm), number of branches (14.08 plant-1), shoot dry biomass (52.01 g plant-1), root dry biomass (7.60 g plant-1), total dry biomass (146.4 g plant-1), number of pods (84 plant-1) and yield (2158 kg ha-1) compared to variety N26 in treatment (R1P1N26). Therefore, combination of Rhizobium MEA 716 100 g ha-1 and phosphate rock 30 Kg ha-1 under variety KS20 led to improved growth attributes equally yield components of KS20 variety over N26. From these findings, application of Rhizobium MEA716 at 100 g ha-1, and 30 Kg ha -1 phosphate rock under variety KS20 was recommended for improved and a sustainable green gram production in the study area.

Rhizobium inoculation and exogenous melatonin synergistically increased thermotolerance by improving antioxidant defense, photosynthetic efficiency, and nitro-oxidative homeostasis in Medicago truncatula

Global warming negatively affects plant growth due to the detrimental effects of high temperature-induced heat stress. Rhizobium inoculation (RI) and exogenous melatonin (MT) have shown a positive role in resisting abiotic stress. However, their synergistic effect on avoiding heat-induced damages in Medicago truncatula has not been studied yet. Hence, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of these amendments (RI and MT) to ameliorate the heat damages in Medicago truncatula. The study was comprised of two factors: (1) heat-induced stress: (i) optimum temperature (26 ± 1°C): (23 ± 1°C) (day: night), (ii) moderate heat (35 ± 1°C): (28 ± 1°C), and (iii) severe heat (41 ± 1°C): (35 ± 1°C) for 72 h, and (2) amendments: (i) no RI + no MT (NRI + NMT), (ii) Rhizobium inoculation (RI), (iii) 60 μM melatonin (MT), and (iii) RI + MT. Results showed that the combined application of RI and MT was better than their individual applications, as it prevented heat-induced membrane damages by declining the hydrogen peroxide (34.22% and 29.78%), superoxide anion radical (29.49% and 26.71%), malondialdehyde contents (26.43% and 21.96%), and lipoxygenase activity (44.75% and 25.51%) at both heat stress levels as compared to NRI + NMT. Moreover, RI + MT treated plants showed higher antioxidative and methylglyoxal detoxification enzymes (Gly I and Gly II) activities under heat stress. While, NRI + NMT treated plants showed a higher level of methylglyoxal contents (47.99% and 46.71%) under both levels of heat stress. Relative to NRI + NMT plants, RI + MT pretreated plants exhibited improved heat tolerance as indicated by higher chlorophyll (37.42% and 43.52%), carotenoid contents (32.41% and 47.08%), and photosynthetic rate (42.62% and 64.63%), under moderate and severe heat stress, respectively. Furthermore, RI + MT pretreated plants had considerably higher indole-3 acetic acid and abscisic acid concentrations under moderate (54.02% and 53.92%) and severe (68.36% and 64.61%) heat stress conditions. Similarly, plant dry biomass, NPK uptake, nitric oxide, and nitrate reductase activity were high in RI + MT treated plants, under both levels of stress. Therefore, this study advocates the positive synergistic effect of RI and MT pretreatment against moderate and severe heat-induced stress and for possible maintenance of plant growth under changing scenarios of global warming.

Contemporary evolution rivals the effects of rhizobium presence on community and ecosystem properties in experimental mesocosms.

Because genotypes within a species commonly differ in traits that influence other species, whole communities, or even ecosystem functions, evolutionary change within one key species may affect the community and ecosystem processes. Here we use experimental mesocosms to test how the evolution of reduced cooperation in rhizobium mutualists in response to 20years of nitrogen fertilization compares to the effects of rhizobium presence on soil nitrogen availability and plant community composition and diversity. The evolution of reduced rhizobium cooperation caused reductions in soil nitrogen, biological nitrogen fixation, and leaf nitrogen concentrations that were as strong as, or even stronger than, experimental rhizobium inoculation (presence/absence) treatments. Effects of both rhizobium evolution and rhizobium inoculation on legume dominance, plant community composition, and plant species diversity were often smaller in magnitude, but suggest that rhizobium evolution can alter the relative abundance of plant functional groups. Our findings indicate that the consequences of rapid microbial evolution for ecosystems and communities can rival the effects resulting from the presence or abundance of keystone mutualists.

Improvement of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Productivity using Selected Carrier-based Rhizobial Biofertilizers at Dendi District, Central Highlands of Ethiopia.

This study anticipated assessing the productivity enhancement effect of selected native rhizobial inoculants on chickpea on camber bed settings at Ginchi sub-station; Dendi districts, central highlands of Ethiopia during 2019-21The trials were laid in RCBD by triplications with a plot size of 12m2. The two-year’s average result showed a statistically significant difference among treatments (p ≤ 0.05) in aboveground biomass at the early podding stage and grain yield. The uppermost average grain yields (2286.4 and 2283.8 kg/ ha) were gotten from inoculation of rhizobial inoculants CP-26 and CP-41 during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 cropping seasons, respectively. The partial economic analysis results also showed that CP-26 and CP-41 were superlatively hopeful inoculants that exhibited a high marginal rate of return of 8683% and 8642%, which are 86.3% and 85.9% higher than the marginal rate of return of the local standard check CP-17, respectively. Therefore, inoculants CP-26 and CP-41 can be considered the best candidates for developing promising chickpea inoculants for Dendi heavy clay soil and similar agroclimatic conditions of Ethiopia after having appropriate validation work.

Constitutive overexpression of GsIMaT2 gene from wild soybean enhances rhizobia interaction and increase nodulation in soybean (Glycine max)

BackgroundSince the root nodules formation is regulated by specific and complex interactions of legume and rhizobial genes, there are still too many questions to be answered about the role of the genes involved in the regulation of the nodulation signaling pathway.ResultsThe genetic and biological roles of the isoflavone-7-O-beta-glucoside 6″-O-malonyltransferase gene GsIMaT2 from wild soybean (Glycine soja) in the regulation of nodule and root growth in soybean (Glycine max) were examined in this work. The effect of overexpressing GsIMaT2 from G. soja on the soybean nodulation signaling system and strigolactone production was investigated. We discovered that the GsIMaT2 increased nodule numbers, fresh nodule weight, root weight, and root length by boosting strigolactone formation. Furthermore, we examined the isoflavone concentration of transgenic G. max hairy roots 10 and 20 days after rhizobial inoculation. Malonyldaidzin, malonylgenistin, daidzein, and glycitein levels were considerably higher in GsMaT2-OE hairy roots after 10- and 20-days of Bradyrhizobium japonicum infection compared to the control. These findings suggest that isoflavones and their biosynthetic genes play unique functions in the nodulation signaling system in G. max.ConclusionsFinally, our results indicate the potential effects of the GsIMaT2 gene on soybean root growth and nodulation. This study provides novel insights for understanding the epistatic relationship between isoflavones, root development, and nodulation in soybean.Highlights* Cloning and Characterization of 7-O-beta-glucoside 6″-O-malonyltransferase (GsIMaT2) gene from wild soybean (G. soja).* The role of GsIMaT2 gene in the regulation of root nodule development.*Overexpression of GsMaT2 gene increases the accumulation of isoflavonoid in transgenic soybean hairy roots.* This gene could be used for metabolic engineering of useful isoflavonoid production.

Effect of Phosphorous, Chloropyriphos and Rhizobium Inoculation on Production and Economics of Chickpea (Cicer aretinum L.)

Field experiments were conducted to Studies effect of Phosphorus, Chloropyriphos and Rhizobium inoculants on productivity parameter and economics of chickpea during rabi season of 2020-21 and 2021-22 at students instructional farm, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur. The experiment consists of 18 treatments combinations in factorial randomized block design with three replications consisted of three levels of phosphorous (30, 60 and 90 kg ha-1), three chloropyriphos levels (0, 2.5 and 4.0 ml L-1) and two rhizobium inoculation levels (with rhizobium and without rhizobium). Chickpea variety RVG-203 was grown with the recommended agronomic practices. On the basis of results emanated from investigation it can be concluded that among the productivity parameters viz. maximum grain yield was 19.76 and 19.88 q ha-1 during the both years of experimentation are associated with the treatment T15 [60 kg P+ 4.0 ml-1 Chloropyriphos with Rhizobium]. Similarly stover yield during first year is 25.26 q ha-1 and second year is 25.94 q ha-1 was associated with the treatment T15 [60 kg P+ 4.0 ml-1 Chloropyriphos with Rhizobium]. Maximum gross return Rs 103908 and Rs 110078, net return Rs 66686 and 72232 and benefit cost ratio (B:C ratio) 1.79 and 1.91 during the first year (2020-21) and second year (2021-22) of experimentation were recorded under treatment T15 [60 kg P+ 4.0 ml-1 Chloropyriphos with Rhizobium], but the maximum cost of cultivation during first year is Rs 38734 and second year is Rs 39358 were recorded under treatment T18 [90 kg P+ 4.0 ml-1 Chloropyriphos with Rhizobium].

Soyabean response to rhizobial inoculation under contrasting smallholder agro-ecological conditions in Zimbabwe

Soyabean is grown widely with rhizobial inoculants on commercial farms in Zimbabwe, but its inoculation response in smallholder cropping environments is poorly characterized. Symbiotic interactions of six rhizobial strains (MAR 1305,1306,1326,1494, 1497 and 1515) from the Grasslands Rhizobium Collection were evaluated under contrasting soils and rainfall zones (natural region) in Zimbabwe. The rhizobial strains were evaluated on one specific and three promiscuous soyabean varieties (SC Saga and TGX (1740-2F/ 1987-628/ 1987-11E). The study was conducted over two rainfall seasons namely 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. Field experiments were set up as a randomized complete block design with two factors (soyabean variety and rhizobial strain), a negative control without inoculation and a positive control inoculated with commercial inoculant strain MAR 1491. All treatments were replicated three times. Nodulation was significantly (P< .0001) influenced by rhizobial strain inoculation with nodulation ranging from 28 to37 nodules per plant. Over the two seasons, soyabean inoculated with MAR 1305, 1306, 1494 and 1515 consistently gave higher grain yield higher (average of 600kg/ha) compared to that inoculated with commercial inoculant strain MAR 1491 (average of 400kg/ha). Nodulation of both promiscuous and specific varieties decreased with annual rainfall amounts in the order: Natural Region (NR)II> NRIII> NRIV. Rhizobial strains MAR 1305, 1306 and 1494 were superior in NR II and NRIII while rhizobial strain MAR 1515 was superior in NR IV. Our results show that identification of superior strains best suited to smallholder cropping environments and inoculation response are crucial for increasing soyabean productivity in these environments.

Effect of Phosphorus, Zinc and Rhizobium on Productivity and Profitability of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under Central Plain Zone of Uttar Pardesh

Field experiments were conducted to study the Effect of phosphorus, zinc and rhizobium on yield and profibility of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) during rabi season of 2020-21 and 2021-22 at students instructional farm, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur. The treament consists of three levels of phosphorus (0, 30 and 60 kg ha-1), three levels of zinc (0,2.5, 5.0 kg ha-1) and two levels of rhizobium inoculation (with and without rhizobium) totally eighteen treatment combinations. The experiment was laid out in Factorial randomized block design with three replications. N @ 20 kg ha-1 and K @ 20 kg ha-1 applied uniformly through urea and murate of potash respectively The experiment was laid out in Factorial randomized block design with three replications. Chickpea variety RVG-202 was grown with the recommended agronomic practices. Results of the experiment reflected that yield of chickpea crop increased with the use of phosphorus, zinc and rhizobium inoculation. Maximum grain yield 20.89 kg ha-1, stover yield 25.26 kg ha-1, biological yield 46.15 kg ha-1 and harvest index 45.27% were recorded under T18 (60 kg P+5 kg Zn ha-1 rhizobium innoculation) over control during second year. But, significantly increased T17 (60 kg P+2.5 kg Zn ha-1+ rhizobium innoculation) during both years (2020-21 and 2021-22). The maximum cost of cultivation (₹ 36615.23), gross return (₹ 115380), net return (₹ 78764.77) and B:C ratio (2.15) were recorded under T18 (60 kg P+5 kg Zn ha-1 rhizobium innoculation). The present study showed that combined application of phosphorus and zinc with rhizobium inoculation along with recommended nitrogen and potassium could be an effective option for enhancing chickpea yield component, yield and economic return.

Response of Different Level of Phosphorus, Zinc and Rhizobium Inoculation on Growth Yield Attributes and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer aretinum L.)

The present field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2020-21 and 2021-22 at the Student's Instructional Farm of Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The experiment comprised of 18 treatment combinations in Factorial randomized block deign with three replications. The result shown among the growth parameters the following assessed data: maximum plant height (48.56 cm) at 90 DAS, the number of nodules (31.27) at 60 DAS, dry weight of nodules (185.77 mg) at 60 DAS and the number of branches (18.12), similarly among yield attributes and yield viz. number of pod plant-1 (69.54), number of grains pod-1 (1.78), 100 grain weight (20.19 gm), grain yield (20.89 q ha-1) and stover yield (25.26 q ha-1) were recorded under T18 (P60+Zn2.5+ rhizobium) during the second year (2021-22) of experimentation. The application of phosphorous, zinc and rhizobium inoculation significantly increase growth, yield and yield attributes of chickpea during the both years of experiments. The present study shown that application of phosphorus, zinc and rhizobium inoculation along with recommended nitrogen and potassium could been an effective option for enhancing the chickpea growth parameters, yield attributes and yield of chickpea.

THE GROWTH, PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF PEANUTS IMPROVED BY FOUR DIFFRENT RATES OF POULTRY MANURE AND RHIZOBIA INOCULANT

THE GROWTH, PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF PEANUTS IMPROVED BY FOUR DIFFRENT RATES OF POULTRY MANURE AND RHIZOBIA INOCULANT

Effect of Rhizobium Inoculation with Different Levels of Inorganic Fertilizers on Yield, Nutrient Content & Uptake of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The field experiment was conducted during Rabi season of 2021-22, to study the effect of combination of biofertilizer and different level of inorganic fertilizers on yield, quality, nutrient content & uptake of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) at pot culture farm of Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry of Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur (U.P.). The experiment comprises of eight treatments T1 (Control), T2 (RDF 75%), T3 (RDF 100%), T4 (RDF 125%), T5 (Rhizobium), T6 (RDF 75% + Rhizobium), T7 (RDF 100% + Rhizobium), T8 (RDF 125% + Rhizobium) in randomized block design with four replications. The chickpea variety RVG-202 is grown by adopting various agronomic practices. The result revealed that among all the treatments, RDF 125% + Rhizobium (T8) treatment recorded maximum yield, highest nutrient content in terms of % N(3.58 %), % P (1.34 %) and % K (0.69 %) in grain % N(2.38 %), % P (1.35 %) and % K (0.86 %) in stover. Highest nutrient uptake viz. N (65.69 kg ha-1), P (24.58 kg ha-1) and (12.66 kg ha-1) in grain and N (61.14 kg ha-1), P (8.99 kg ha-1) and (47.78 kg ha-1) stover is also associated with the treatment T8 [RDF 125% + Rhizobium]. It is clearly identified that seed inoculated with rhizobium can increase yield, nutrient content and uptake values of chickpea crop.