Effect of Herbicides on Growth, Nodulation and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The effect of three herbicides (isoproturon, fluchloralin and 2,4-D) on chickpea rhizobia and their influence on chickpea -Rhizobium symbiosis, yields, N content and photosynthetic pigments of chickpea plants were determined. Higher concentrations of these herbicides clearly inhibited the growth of root nodule bacteria in vitro. Two fold than the recommended dose of these herbicides adversely affected the plant health, photosynthetic pigments and N content of chickpea. Normal and two fold rates of the herbicides except the double dose of fluchloralin increased the seed yield in chickpea crop. Nodulation and leghemoglobin were also negatively affected at rates two times higher than the recommended dose of each herbicide. Populations of specific and inoculated chickpea rhizobia within single nodule of each treated plants were also adversely affected by pesticide application and showed variation in rhizobial populations within each nodule as determined through replica immunoblot assay (RIBA).