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Association of rhizobia with other plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), such as Azospirillum, have the potential to increase crop yields. This work aimed to assess how Rhizobium tropici and Azospirillum brasilense alone or in combination, affect the growth and yields of common bean grains (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). In a field experiment, R. tropici and A. brasilense were inoculated on seeds, alone or in combination, associated or not with foliar spraying of A. brasilense. Shoot biomass, nitrogen accumulation, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield were evaluated. Application of A. brasilense, on seed or by foliar spraying, and seed inoculation of R. tropici, had an additive effect, increasing biomass and accumulated nitrogen, thousand-grain weight, and grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common bean yield and the suppressive effect of winter cover crops on summer weeds. The effect of the winter cover crops rye, oat, ryegrass, vetch and fodder radish (and their mixtures) in no-tillage systems was investigated on soil cover, cover crop biomass and summer weed biomass during the critical competition stage with common bean. Bean yield was also evaluated. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks and four repetitions. The highest soil cover during winter was observed in the treatments rye + vetch, rye + vetch + fodder radish and oat + vetch. The highest values of cover crops biomass production were observed in the treatments rye + vetch + fodder radish. Weed suppression was higher in the ryegrass monoculture and in the rye + vetch + fodder radish association, and there was no correlation between cover crop biomass and summer weed suppression; the best bean yields were achieved with the following treatments: ryegrass in monoculture, oat in monoculture and rye + vetch, producing 1,950, 1,730 e 1,790 kg ha-1 respectively. The monocultures of ryegrass and oat showed the lowest costs with seeds and the highest economic returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]