1G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar-263 145, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand
2Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni-173 230, Solan, Himachal Pradesh
3Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, 218 Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun-248 195,(U.K.)
*E-mail: kraverkar@gmail.com
Online published on 2 May, 2012.
The performance of Robina pseudoacacia in different wasteland soils of North-West Himalayas was evaluated under green house conditions. Total of fifty-two soil samples from wastelands were collected from five districts representing four agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh. Around 81 percent of the wasteland soils supported very sparse nodulation i.e. less than 15 nodules per plant while no nodulation was observed in soils of seven locations. The number of nodules per plant and biomass synthesized in them was significantly correlated (r =0.749; P<0.01). The overall poor nodulation status indicated the lack of sufficient population of specific rhizobia to synthesize nodules in R. pseudoacacia. The highest nodule dry biomass (198 mg/plant) was synthesized in R. pseudoacacia grown in wasteland soils of Bhagsunath (District Kangra) followed by Rakh and Halli (168 and 83 mg/plant, respectively) of district Chamba. The wasteland soils of Rakh (district Chamba) supported highest shoot and root biomass of 2.578 and 1.845 g per plant, respectively. The significant correlations between nodulation status and nitrogen accretion in shoots of R. pseudoacacia emphasizes the role of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in growth and establishment of R. pseudoacacia in nutrient impoverished wasteland soils
Nodulation status, Robinia pesudoacacia, nitrogen uptake, soil properties, wasteland soils
