article · AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Pot and field trials conducted over two consecutive crop years in Southern Ethiopia evaluated the performance of chickpea cultivars Shasho and Nattoli inoculated with various Mesorhizobium strains. Tested treatments included four native strains, a national standard inoculant, an exotic Canadian strain, nitrogen fertiliser, and an uninoculated control. Proper inoculation substantially improved chickpea performance across multiple metrics, including grain yield, yield components, total nitrogen uptake, seed protein content, and atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Among all evaluated treatments, the indigenous strain Cp41 delivered the most pronounced results. In pot trials, it notably increased shoot dry weight, grain yield, and nitrogen uptake. During the second-year field experiment, Cp41 dramatically increased nodule dry weight, achieved a 66 percent increase in grain yield, doubled total nitrogen uptake, and produced the highest seed protein content at 20 percent, outperforming both chemical fertiliser and the exotic inoculant.
Chickpeas are a crucial dietary staple, providing plant protein and naturally enriching soils through biological nitrogen fixation. Demonstrating that locally adapted bacterial strains can outperform synthetic fertilisers and imported inoculants provides an accessible route to raising crop yields. This supports sustainable farming practices by reducing reliance on costly chemical inputs while enhancing crop nutritional value under rainfed agricultural conditions.
This research presents an applied and field-tested bio-inoculant. The indigenous strain Cp41 could be developed into bio-fertiliser products for distribution to pulse farmers operating in rainfed conditions. Having shown consistent efficacy across pot tests and two consecutive field seasons, the strain appears positioned for pilot-scale bio-manufacturing, formulation testing, and local regulatory registration as an agricultural input for chickpea cultivation.
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A series of pot and two consecutive crop-year field experiments were conducted from 2011 to 2012 in Southern Ethiopia to determine the effectiveness of Mesorhizobium strains on two cultivars of chickpea (Shasho and Nattoli). The eight treatments included: Six rhizobial inoculants, the four best indigenous strains (Cp8, Cp41, Cp97 and Cp105); CpNSTC (National Soils Testing Center inoculant); and CpSK (Canadian inoculant), Nitrogen fertilizer and a control. The results from the field and pot experiments indicated that chickpea crop yield can be improved using proper Mesorhizobium inoculation. Inoculation had a pronounced effect on grain yield, yield component, total N uptake, grain protein content, percentage N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) for the seed, and amount of seed N fixed compared to non-inoculated treatments. In the pot experiment, significant difference was recorded among the mesorhizobial strains used with the indigenous strain Cp41 highly effective in shoot dry weight (41%) mg-1 plant, grain yield (50%), total N uptake (117%), and %Ndfa (67.9%) followed by CpSK, Cp8 and Cp97. In the second crop-year field experiment, the indigenous Mesorhizobium strain Cp41 also proved highly effective in-nodule dry weight (786%) mg-1 plant, grain yield (66%), total N uptake (100%), and %Ndfa (53.7%). The maximum seed protein content was recorded during the second crop-year field experiment in Cp41 (20%), followed by N fertilizer added treatment and CpSK (18%). The chickpea indigenous rhizobial strain Cp41, was superior inoculant for almost all parameters. Thus, there are potential advantages to be gained from using efficient rhizobial inoculants under rain fed conditions in Ethiopia. Key words: Chickpea, rhizobia inoculants, nodulation, growth, yield.
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DOI: 10.5897/ajb2015.15060
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