Growth response of Glycine Max (L.) merrill varieties to microbial inoculants

In recent years use of microbial inoculants as a source of bio-fertilizers has become a hope for most of countries, as far as economical and environmental view point are concerned. The present paper deals with the comparative adaptability of two varieties of Glycine max (L.) Merrill (BSS-2 and RAUS-5) after seed dressing with Rhizobium japonicum (SB-16 strain) and Azotobacter chroococcum (S-41 strain) with respect to various morphological, derived and reproductive growth parameters. The growth parameters were calculated such as relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), leaf area ratio (LAR), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf weight ratio (LWR), shoot/root ratio. Rhizobium inoculated plants gave the highest values for vegetative, growth indices, fruit and yield traits as compared with the Azotobacter inoculated plants and non-inoculated (control) plants. Early flowering and weight of 100 seeds were noticed in Rhizobium treated plants. RAUS-5 variety performed better than BSS-2 in different microbial inoculants treatments.