Improvement of some growth and yield parameters of faba bean (Vicia faba) by inoculation with Rhizobium laguerreae and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

2019 
The use of improved biofertilisers such as rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in legume crops is a promising technology that can be an alternative source of nitrogen and phosphorus. A common problem when growing faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and other leguminous plants is the low efficiency of native rhizobial strains. Consequently, there is a need to search for efficient nitrogen-fixing inoculant strains able to increase crop productivity. This study aimed to test the effects of single and dual inoculation with Rhizobium laguerreae and AMF on the growth and yield of faba bean plants. Several parameters were evaluated at flowering stage (number of flowers, stems and leaves, shoot and root biomass, leaf area, leaf mass per area and leaf area ratio, and gas-exchange parameters) and at harvesting stage (number and weight of pods and seeds). Plants receiving single inoculation with Rhizobium laguerreae showed a significant increase in number of leaves, leaf area, leaf mass per area and leaf area ratio, as well as in all yield parameters. Single inoculation with AMF also significantly increased the yield parameters of faba bean plants. Co-inoculation presented significant improvements in leaf area ratio and in all productivity parameters compared with the control, but co-inoculation was not significantly different from the individual inoculations.
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