The present study was undertaken to obtain the best host cultivar-Rhizobial strain combination in the soils of Hoshiarpur. A Pot experiment was conducted by sowing seeds of Pea (Pisum sativum (L.)) varAP-3 along with screened isolated strains of Rhizobia in soil samples. After 60 days of sowing various parameters such as number of nodules, fresh weight and dry weight of plants, length of plants, leghaemoglobin content, nitrogenase activity and percent nitrogen content were recorded. Maximum number of nodules was observed in SS8 (53) followed by strain SS12 (20). The maximum fresh weight (11.35g/root and 12.20g/shoot), dry weight (8.17g/root and 9.16g/shoot)and length (20.3 cm/root and 17.0 cm/shoot)were reported in plants inoculated with SS8 strain of Rhizobia. The leghaemoglobin content in nodules was found to be highest in plants inoculated with SS8 strain (8.96 mg/0.5 g nodules) followed by plants inoculated with SS12 strain of Rhizobia (6.36 mg/0.5 g nodules). The nitrogenase activity (0.65 µM C2H2 reduced/plant) was also observed to be highest in plants inoculated with SS8 strain of Rhizobia. The total nitrogen content was 3.22% in SS8 inoculated plant leaves while it was 2.10% in SS12 inoculated plant leaves.

Download this article as