THE EFFECT OF PHOSPHORUS SOLUBILISING BACTERIA ON SPRING AND AUTUMN CHICKPEA YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS UNDER SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATION CONDITION

Reza Edalatjo, Mohammad Mirzaei Heydari, Abbas Maleki

Abstract: Phosphorus (P) is one of the most important but the least available mineral nutrients to plants in many cropping environments. The use of P solubilising bacteria (PSB) as seed or soil inoculants can enhance P uptake by the plant and thereby enhance crop yields. In this study, the effect of seed inoculation by the PSB (Pseudomonas putida and Pantoea agglomerans) on spring and autumn chickpea yield and yield components under supplemental irrigation condition was studied in Iran during the 2013 – 2014 growing seasons. Three levels of supplemental irrigation (no irrigation, one time irrigation and two time irrigation) were allocated to the main plots and cultivation season (spring and autumn) with two levels of PSB (no PSP inoculation and PSB inoculation) were applied to the subplots. Results showed that the highest biologic yield (2231.7 kg ha-1), seed and pod weight (6.9 g per plant), 100 seeds weight (27.6 g), pods per plant (55.9), and seed yield (838.7 kg ha-1) were achieved from the two time irrigation treatment. It was observed that the effects of cultivation season were signifi cant on the number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, 100 seeds weight, seed yield, and biologic yield. PSB inoculation significantly affected the number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, 100 seeds weight, seed and pod weight, seed yield, and biologic yield, so that, compared to the no PSB inoculation treatment, the highest seed yield (857.14 kg ha-1) was resulted from the inoculation with PSB. Also, the highest seed yield (911.4 kg ha-1) and biologic yield (2296.8 kg ha-1) was obtained in the autumn cultivation
season. According to results of this research, the interaction among these three factors had a significant effect on the seed yield.

Keywords: chickpea; cultivation season; phosphorus solubilizing bacteria; seed yield; supplemental irrigation

Date published: 2017-10-17