1Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, 125004, Haryana, India
2Department of Microbiology and Fermentation Technology, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad, 211007, Uttar Pradesh, India
Dairy Microbiology Division, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, 132001, Haryana, India
*Email for correspondence: ankitsingla2607@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 3 April, 2017.
Sixty five rhizobial strains were isolated from nodules of berseem plants collected from 3 districts of Haryana state and were tested for nodulation and plant biomass production. Authentication of the rhizobia was done by plant infectivity test. Nodule number, nodule fresh weight, shoot length and shoot dry weight were recorded at 50 days of plant growth. Almost all the isolates exhibited good nodulation and number of nodules per plant ranged from 12 (BK34) to 45 (BS12). Plants inoculated with BK92 showed the highest nodule fresh weight (82 mg/plant), shoot length (25.1cm), shoot dry weight (233 mg/plant) and more number of nodules (40 nodules/plant). The results indicated that there was substantial positive effects of rhizobial inoculation on the growth parameters of berseem crop compared to the uninoculated control. Among the rhizobial isolates tested, BK92 was found promising candidate for berseem cultivation.
Rhizobium, berseem, legume, nodules
