Rhizobia Inoculation Supplemented with Nitrogen Fertilization Enhances Root Nodulation, Productivity, and Nitrogen Dynamics in Soil and Black Gram ( Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper)

Mahran Sadiq, Nasir Rahim, Muhammad Aamir Iqbal (), Mashael Daghash Alqahtani, Majid Mahmood Tahir, Afshan Majeed and Raees Ahmed
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Mahran Sadiq: College of Forestry, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Nasir Rahim: Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Poonch Rawalakot, Rawalakot 12350, Pakistan
Muhammad Aamir Iqbal: Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Poonch Rawalakot, Rawalakot 12350, Pakistan
Mashael Daghash Alqahtani: Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Majid Mahmood Tahir: Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Poonch Rawalakot, Rawalakot 12350, Pakistan
Afshan Majeed: Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Poonch Rawalakot, Rawalakot 12350, Pakistan
Raees Ahmed: Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Poonch Rawalakot, Rawalakot 12350, Pakistan

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: The potential interactions of rhizobium bacteria in enhancing nodulation, nitrogen (N) fixation for boosting N availability, and the yield of black gram under a temperate environment continue to remain unexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of black gram cultivars, their yield comparisons, and shoot–grain–soil N dynamics in a prevalently rainfed farming system. Two black gram cultivars, NARC Mash-I and NARC Mash-II, were subjected to rhizobia inoculation combined with different N doses (0, 25, 50, 75, 100 kg ha −1 ). The response variables included root nodulation, agronomic yield attributes, grain yield, shoot–grain and soil N dynamics, and biological productivity. Black gram cultivar NARC Mash-II showed the maximum nodule formation (41 per plant), while each nodule obtained 0.69 g weight in response to RI combined with 25 kg N ha −1 . Additionally, this combination showed the highest pods per plant and thousand grain weight, which maximized the grain yield (1777 kg ha −1 ) and biological productivity (3007 kg ha −1 ). In contrast, NARC Mash-I under 50 kg N recorded the highest shoot N content, while the same cultivar under 100 kg N exhibited the maximum soil N content. The correlation analyses indicated a significantly robust association among the nodule numbers, grain weight, and N contents in different plant organs. These results give mechanistic insights into plant–microbe interactions based on the eco-friendly, sustainable, and smart agricultural practice of black gram production in a temperate environment.

Keywords: pulses; phenotypic divergence; root nodulation; temperate climate; nitrogen dynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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