Effects of Rhizobium Strains on Seed Yield and Yield Related Traits of Chickpea (Cicer aritienum L.) Varieties at Ambo, Ethiopia

Abstract

The chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a significant legume food crop in West Showa that farmers exploit to generate revenue and sustenance. Nevertheless, two major obstacles to production are the scarcity of high-quality seed and the poor fertility of the soil. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate how Rhizobium inoculation affected yield, growth, and its constituent parts. Four Rhizobium strains (Cp11, Cp17, Cp41, and control) x four varieties (Eshete, Dimtu, Teketay, and Local) organized in factorial combinations were assessed using a randomized complete block design with three replications. All phenology and growth parameters, yield components, seed yield, and productivity indices were significantly influenced by both variety and Rhizobium strain, with the exception of crop phenology and hundred seed weight, which were not significantly influenced by Rhizobium strain. Plant height and the number of pods per plant were significantly impacted by the interaction between the R strain and variety. Four types yielded seed with a range of 2013.89 to 2777.78 kg ha-1, whereas inoculation procedures produced seed with a range of 2152.78 to 2690.97 kg ha-1. The Teketay variety and seeds infected with the Cp17 Rhizobium strain produced the best seed yield. Higher grain yield index per day, Rhizobium sensitive or infection index, yield index, and seed production efficiency were also seen in Teketay variety and seeds infected with Cp17 Rhizobium strain. The largest seed yield was produced by the Teketay variety inoculated with the Cp17 Rhizobium strain, and in most cases, the enhanced varieties' seeds inoculated with the Cp17 strain also produced high yields.