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RESPONSE OF CHICKPEA TO PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON NITROGEN FIXATION AND YIELD

ZARRIN FATIMA¹, ASGHARI  BANO^1*, RIAZ SIAL AND M. ASLAM²

Abstract: The study was conducted to compare the effects of three plant growth regulators and Rhizobium leguminosarum on the growth, yield parameters and N₂ fixation of chickpea under natural condition. The plant growth regulators viz., kinetin, indole 3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) were applied at concentration of 10^-5M as seed soaking and 10^-6 M as foliar spray, alone and in combinations with Rhizobium inoculum (strain TAL 1148 and TAL 620). Kinetin was found to be the most affective in increasing growth parameter (viz. root/shoot biomass, grain yield) and nitrogen fixation (viz., specific nitrogenase activity of nodules, and total N – fixed plant^-1) of chickpea. The IAA seed soaking was least effective. The ABA seed soaking as well as foliar spray treatments significantly decreased nodules weight, nitrogenase activity of nodules, specific nitrogenase activity of nodules and total N – fixed plant^-1. The kinetin seed soaking (10^-5 M) and ABA foliar spray (10^-6 M) were more effective in increasing the grain weight as compared to control. Application of Rhizobium inoculum, generally increased growth yields components and nitrogen fixation. The TAL 1148 strain was more effective than TAL 620. The pattern of response to hormone and Rhizobium inoculum was consistent in the three consecutive years. It would suggest that that both the efficiency and the longevity of the nodules seem to be favorably affected by kinetin application.

¹Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

²Soil Biology and Biochemistry Section, NARC, Islamabad Pakistan.