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Utility of Rhizobium in the phyllosphere of crop plants under field conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

A. S. Nandi
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, India
B. Sengupta
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, India
S. P. Sen
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, India

Summary

Soya bean, Bengal gram and lentil plants were grown under field conditions and sprayed with suspensions of different strains of Rhizobium. Irrespective of crossinoculation groups beneficial effects were similar to those observed in nitrogen-free sand culture with respect to dry weight, chlorophyll and N contents. The beneficial effects of spraying Rhizobiumstrains compared favourably with seed treatment by appropriate Rhizobium strains and application of urea. Both an ineffective strain and a mutant strain of R. japonicum showed similar beneficial effects. Acetylene reduction by the Rhizobium-leaf association ranged from 497 to 890 nmol/g leaf/h. The ectosymbiotic association of Rhizobium with foliage of legumes, thus, may meet to a large extent the nitrogen requirement of such plants.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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References

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