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Improved grain yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) under water deficit after inoculation with Bradyrhizobium elkanii and Rhizophagus irregularis
- Source :
- Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal, Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP), instacron:RCAAP
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- CSIRO Publishing, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), a plant broadly cultivated for human consumption and animal feed, is among the most nutritious grain legumes. Most of the areas where cowpea is grown are drought-prone, and there is a need to address this issue, with water scarcity becoming a major concern in agriculture. Cowpea is known to form mutualistic associations with nitrogen-fixing (NF) bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. These beneficial soil microorganisms have the capacity to benefit plants by reducing the effects of environmental stresses, including drought. Our aim was to study the effect of inoculation with Bradyrhizobium elkanii and Rhizophagus irregularis on the growth and grain yield of cowpea under water-deficit conditions. Under moderate water deficit, grain yield was increased by 63%, 55% and 84% in plants inoculated with B. elkanii, R. irregularis and B. elkanii + R. irregularis, respectively. Under severe water deficit, inoculation with B. elkanii and B. elkanii + R. irregularis resulted in grain-yield enhancement of 45% and 42%, respectively. The use of cowpea inoculated with NF bacteria and AM fungi has great potential for sustainable agricultural production under drought conditions.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Rhizophagus irregularis
Animal feed
Water stress
Microorganism
Rhizobia
Plant Science
01 natural sciences
Vigna
Bradyrhizobium elkanii
2. Zero hunger
biology
Tripartite symbiosis
Inoculation
business.industry
Sustainable agriculture
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
15. Life on land
biology.organism_classification
6. Clean water
Agronomy
Agriculture
040103 agronomy & agriculture
0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
business
Plant-microbe interactions
Agronomy and Crop Science
010606 plant biology & botany
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 18360947
- Volume :
- 68
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Crop and Pasture Science
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....7dde2410fe0b10e34683048542f3af67
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1071/cp17087