Responses of Pea Varieties to Rhizobium Inoculation: Nitrogenase Activity, Dry Matter Production and Nitrogen Uptake

The responses of five varieties and three cultivars of pea (Pisum sativum) to Rhizobium inoculation on nodulation, growth, nitrogenase activity, dry matter production and N uptake were investigated. The pea varieties were IPSA Motorshuti-l, IPSA Motorshuti-2, IPSA Motorshuti-3, BARI Motorshuti-l, BARI Motorshuti-2 and the cultivars were 063, Local small and Local white. Fifty percent seeds of each pea variety/cultivar were inoculated with a mixture of Rhizobium inoculants at rate of 15g/kg seed and the remaining fifty percent seeds were kept uninoculated. The plants inoculated with Rhizobium inoculant significantly increased nodulation, growth, nitrogenase activity, dry matter production and N uptake. Among the varieties/cultivars, BARI Motorshuti-l performed best in almost all parameters including nitrogenase activity of root nodule bacteria of the crop. There were positive correlations among the number and dry weight of nodules (r=$0.987^{**}$, $0.909^{**}$), nitrogenase activity of root nodule bacteria (r=$0.944^{**}$, $0.882^{**}$), dry weight of shoot (r=$0.787^{**}$, $0.952^{**}$), N content (r=$0.594^{**}$, $0.605^{**}$) and N uptake (r=$0.784^{**}$, $0.922^{**}$) by shoot both at flowering and pod filling stages of the crop, respectively. It was concluded that BARI Motorshuti-l in symbiotic association with Rhizobium inoculant performed best in recording nitrogenase activity, dry matter production and N uptake by pea.