Inoculation with Native Bradyrhizobia Strains Improved Growth of Cowpea Plants Cultivated on a Saline Soil |
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| Authors: | E Gómez Padilla B Ruiz-Díez M Fernández-Pascual R López Sánchez E Bloem |
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| Institution: | 1. University of Granma, Agricultural Faculty, Bayamo, Cuba;2. Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Agricultural Sciences (CSIC), Madrid, Spain;3. Julius Kühn Institute, Institute for Crop and Soil Science, Bundesallee, Braunschweig, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Selection of osmotolerant rhizobia gained importance because of increasing soil salinity in many regions. A field experiment in the Cauto Valley was conducted to determine the effect of seed inoculation with two native strains of Bradyrhizobium sp. on biological nitrogen (N)-fixation of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) on a salt affected soil. Inoculation with both strains resulted in higher numbers of nodules, specific N-fixation, and yields of cowpeas than the control without inoculation. The strain VIBA-1 (Bradyrhizobium liaoningense) was partly superior to VIBA-2 (Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense). This study indicates that the strains inoculated are competitive against other natural strains and able to nodulate cowpea. |
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| Keywords: | Legume rhizobia salinity symbiosis Vigna unguiculata |
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