Nodulation and Growth Promotion of Chickpea by <i>Mesorhizobium</i> Isolates from Diverse Sources

Abstract

The cultivation of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in South Africa is dependent on the application of suitable Mesorhizobium inoculants. Therefore, we evaluated the symbiotic effectiveness of several Mesorhizobium strains with different chickpea genotypes under controlled conditions. The tested parameters included shoot dry weight (SDW), nodule fresh weight (NFW), plant height, relative symbiotic effectiveness (RSE) on the plant as well as indole acetic acid (IAA) production and phosphate solubilization on the rhizobia. Twenty-one Mesorhizobium strains and six desi chickpea genotypes were laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replicates in a glasshouse pot experiment. The factors, chickpea genotype and Mesorhizobium strain, had significant effects on the measured parameters (p Mesorhizobium promoted chickpea growth. This is the first study to report on chickpea-compatible Mesorhizobium strains isolated from uninoculated South African soils with no history of chickpea production; although, their plant growth promotion ability was poorer compared to some of the globally sourced strains. Since this study was conducted under controlled conditions, we recommend field studies to assess the performance of the five highlighted strains under environmental conditions in South Africa.

Keywords

• chickpea
• <i>Mesorhizobium</i>
• nodulation
• symbiotic effectiveness
• naturalized strains