Impact of various Rhizobium application methods on production and nodule formation in cowpea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2025.100406Keywords:
Application method, Cowpea, Interaction, Nodule, Rhizobium inoculationAbstract
The study aimed to determine the effect of various Rhizobium inoculation methods on the yield, growth, and reproductive characteristics of two cowpea varieties under field conditions in the tropical region of Tikapur, Kailali. With four replications, the study was carried out in a two-factorial Randomized Complete Block Design from April to August of 2024. Four different Rhizobium inoculation methods were tested on two cowpea varieties, Aakash and Prakash: T1 (Control), T2 (seed inoculation), T3 (seed + soil inoculation), and T4 (soil inoculation). The majority of parameters were significantly influenced by the variety, inoculation methods and their interaction. While Aakash showed better physiological growth, the Prakash variety performed better in reproductive attributes and had a greater grain yield (1.39 t/ha). With the highest plant height (92.74 cm), number of leaves (52.75), branches (5.54), effective nodules (84.69), pods per plant (21.29), seeds per pod (12.10), thousand-grain weight (138.95 g), and grain yield (1.98 t/ha), T3 (seed + soil inoculation) regularly outperformed the other treatments. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between effective nodulation and yield-related traits. These results indicate that integrated Rhizobium treatment may greatly increase cowpea productivity, especially by combining both seed and soil inoculation. The study offers a cost-effective, promising method for enhancing the performance of legumes, which is particularly advantageous for smallholder farmers. To confirm the scalability and consistency of these findings, the study suggests more extensive long-term research in other agro-ecological zones.
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