Full Length Research Paper

Effects of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms and Rhizobium sp. on the growth, nodulation, yield and root-rot disease complex of chickpea under field condition

Mohd Sayeed Akhtar^1,2* and Zaki A. Siddiqui¹

¹Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202 002, India.

²Botanical Institute, University of Basel, Hebelstrasse 1, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: sayeedbot@yahoo.co.in. Tel.: +91-9719066915. Fax: +91-571-2402016.

Accepted 8 May, 2009

   Abstract

Effects of Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (Glomus intraradices, Pseudomonas putida, P. alcaligenes, P. aeruginosa (Pa28), A. awamori) and Rhizobium sp. was observed on the growth, nodulation yield and root-rot disease complex of chickpea under field condition. Inoculation of Rhizobium sp. caused a greater increase in growth and yield than P. putida, P. aeruginosa or G. intraradices. The number of nodules per root system was significantly higher in plants inoculated with Rhizobium sp. compared to plants without Rhizobium sp. Inoculation of P. putida caused highest reduction in galling followed by P. aeruginosa, P. alcaligenes, G. intraradices and A. awamori while Rhizobium sp. caused almost similar reduction in galling as caused by P. putida.

Key words: Chickpea, Glomus sp., phosphate solubilizing microorganisms, disease complex.