Response of pigeon pea and cowpea to phosphate and dual inoculation with vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza and Rhizobium

Abstract

Response of cowpea and pigeon pea to dual Inoculation with Glomus fasciculatum and/or Rhizobium sp., with and without added P (22 kg P ha-1) was studied in a P-deficient non-sterile soil. Application of P increased nodulation and the number of endomycorrhizal spores in the root zone of both legumes. Plants inoculated with both organisms and supplemented with P recorded the highest shoot dry weights and N and P contents, indicating the need for the addition of a small amount of P to derive maximum benefit from dual inoculation with Rhizobium and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza.