Soybean has the potential to bring significant benefits in diversified cropping systems, which could help restructuring soil fertility and allow smallholders to increase grain yield. Rhizobium inoculation improves the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in legume crops and assists resource-poor farmers to increase grain yield at lower financial costs. The efficacy of symbiotic bacteria on legumes can also be improved through supplementation of phosphorus fertilizer. In this work, a meta-analysis of 29 peerreviewed studies was performed to understand the effects of various Rhizobium strains and phosphate fertilizer application on soybean nodules. Results showed that Rhizobium inoculation was highly effective in increasing the number of soybean nodules, nodule dry weight, and shoot dry weight. Application of phosphorus fertilizer increased the overall nodule number due to improved BNF processes by Rhizobia. The main effects of both Rhizobium inoculation and phosphate fertilizer resulted in moving grain yields to 1.67 t ha -1 and 1.95 t ha -1, respectively. Furthermore, the interaction of Rhizobium inoculants and phosphorus led to relatively higher grain yield (2.51 t ha -1). Therefore, African smallholders were advised to adopt Rhizobium inoculation in soybean fields concomitantly to phosphate fertilizer application, to improve soybean productivity at lower costs.
Striga infestation presents a major constraint to crop production in agricultural systems. The tobacco witch weed, Striga gesnerioides occurs widely in Africa and other parts of the world where it is known to parasitize mainly cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and other dicotyledonous plants. In Zimbabwe, the parasitic weed was first confirmed in the Nyikavanhu area of Mvuma in the year 2007 and research was initiated to study this parasitic weed and recommend control strategies. A few more reports have been received of the parasitic weed infesting tobacco in other growing regions. However, despite having been reported widely on cowpea in other countries, S. gesnerioides has not been documented on this and related crops in Zimbabwe. Interestingly, in previous research conducted in Zimbabwe, it was established that cowpea induces suicidal germination of S. gesnerioides seeds but resulting in no further developmental stages such as haustorial attachment. This led to the conclusion that the species strain reported elsewhere on cowpea could be a different biotype from the one currently parasitizing tobacco in Zimbabwe. Thus it was felt that cowpea could then be used in tobacco crop rotations as a trap crop by inducing suicidal germination of parasite's seed. This current work reports the occurrence of S. gesnerioides on other plants in addition to tobacco. New Alternative Hosts Dalbergia melanoxylon (African blackwood)The African blackwood, Dalbergia melanoxylon was found (27 January 2017) parasitized for the first time by S. gesnerioides (Figures 1 and 2) in Mvuma (S18°58.4', E030°37.9'), Zimbabwe. The host plant was observed in the black clay soils in non-cultivated lands but closer to the tobacco fields. This had not been previously recorded. Dalbergia is a large genus of small to medium sized trees, shrubs and lianas in the pea family, Fabaceae [1]. The genus has a wide distribution and is native to the dry regions of Africa from Senegal to Eritrea and to the North-Eastern parts of South Africa. The discovery of new host plant in the same agro systems with tobacco could elucidate the possibility of D. melanoxylon as an alternative host of S. gesnerioides. Richardia scabra (Mexican clover)In addition to Dalbergia melanoxylon, S. gesnerioides was also found (21 February 2017) parasitizing the weed Mexican clover, Richardia scabra (Figure 3) in sandy loamy soils of Dotito (S16°34.0', E031°34.6'). Richardia scabra is a weed of economic importance in the tobacco agro systems in Zimbabwe. It is a herbaceous flowering plant in the coffee family and normally grows in sandy soils [2]. In Dotito, the Mexican clover weeds were being parasitized by S. gesnerioides in maize, sorghum and groundnut plots; while in tobacco fields, both tobacco and the Mexican clover were parasitized. The occurrence of S. gesnerioides on R. scabra presents a wild host species which would potentially act as refugia or alternate host during the tobacco offseason period and result in serious infestation on tobacco during the season.
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