INFLUENCE OF ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI, RHIZOBIUM INOCULATION AND ROCK PHOSPHATE ON GROWTH AND QUALITY OF LENTIL

 

TABASSUM YASEEN¹, KAWSAR ALI^2*, FAZAL MUNSIF³, ABDUR RAB⁴, MASOOD AHMAD⁴, MUHAMMAD ISRAR⁵, AND AZIZ KHAN BARAICH⁵

 

¹Department of botany, Bacha Khan University, ²Department of Agriculture, Abdul Wali Khan University

³Agronomy Department, ⁴Horticulture Department, Agriculture University Peshawar,

⁵Pakistan Science Foundation, ⁵Agronomy Department, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam

^*Corresponding author: kawsar@awkum.edu.pk

 

Abstract

 

Effective inoculation of legumes has the ability not only to ensure nutrients availability to plants particularly in N & P-limiting (due to improvement in nutrients fixation) environments but also can manipulate the environmental hazards associated with over inorganic fertilization. To support this view, the current experiment was conducted to study the influence of rock phosphorus fertilization, Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (AM) and Rhizobium inoculation on growth and yield parameters of Lens culinaris (NARC.2008-4). In addition, the current experiments aimed to evaluate the effect of different inoculation practices on crop quality in comparison with control (no inoculation).The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications during winter (2010-11 and 2012-13) at the Department of Botany University of Peshawar Pakistan. Overall, inoculated plant performed superior in terms of plant growth and quality over control. All plants measured parameters (Leaf chlorophyll content, seed protein, fiber and ash content, plant height, number of seed pod^-1, leaves plant^-1, flowers plant^-1, pods plant^-1, pod length and thousand seed weight) were highest in plant samples inoculated with VAM and Rhizobium in combination as compared to sole application of VAM or Rhizobium. Combined inoculation of VAM and Rhizobium caused 10, 24, 17, 21 and 14% increase in seed protein content, leaf chlorophyll content, seed fiber content, seed ash content and number of seed pod^-1 over sole application of VAM and Rhizobium when averaged over two years. Combined application of Rhizobium + VAM enhanced seed yield plant^-1 by 45% over control and 24% and 28% over sole inoculation of VAM and Rhizobium respectively. It is therefore concluded that dual inoculation of VAM + Rhizobium and rock phosphate may be of only limited consequence in high input agricultural systems.

 

Key words: Lentil, AM Fungi, Rhizobium, RP fertilizer, Inoculation, Chlorophyll content.