MSCAGR (Plant Production) / Department of Plant Production / Soil infertility, water scarcity, and availability of high yielding and drought tolerant crop genotypes remain major constraints for agricultural production in semi-arid regions. These constraints are major threats to sustainable crop production and food security. Management practices in such areas should always be geared towards improving productivity at a low cost while sustaining soil fertility. Preliminary studies showed the huge potential of chickpea in the dry environments of the North Eastern South Africa. However, lack of nodulation in chickpea has been reported in these regions probably due to low soil pH, insufficient rhizobial populations or total lack of infective native rhizobia. Therefore this study assessed the effect of biochar and rhizobium inoculation on soil pH, nodulation, growth, yield and chlorophyll content of chickpea in Mpumalanga (Nelspruit) and Limpopo (Thohoyandou) Provinces, South Africa. Two field experiments were planted during winter 2015 and 2016. Treatments consisted of three levels of biochar (0, 10 and 20 t ha-1), two Rhizobium inoculation levels (with and without Rhizobium inoculation) and three chickpea genotypes (ACC #4, ACC #5, and ACC #6) in a factorial combination arranged in randomized complete block design replicated three times. Crop phenology (days to 50% emergence, flowering, podding, and physiological maturity), crop growth (plant height, canopy cover, number of primary and secondary branches), nodulation (number of nodules per plant and nodule dry weight), yield and yield components (number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and 100 seed weight [100-SW]), and chlorophyll content were determined at various crop growth stages. Identification and isolation of native rhizobia from soils was done using standard protocols. Data obtained were subjected to analyses of variance using the general linear model of Genstat software version 17. Significant differences between the treatments means were compared using the standard error of difference (SED) of the means at 5% level. Correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationship between parameters. Molecular data was subjected to BLASTn in National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) searches for identification of isolated strains Application of biochar at 10 and 20 t ha-1 increased soil pH by 0.7 pH units in Thohoyandou (clay soil) in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Soil pH increased by 0.77 pH units at 10 t ha-1 and 1.2 pH units at 20 t ha-1 in Nelspruit (loamy sand) in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Similarly, rhizobium inoculation increased soil pH by 0.2 (Thohoyandou) and 0.5 (Nelspruit) pH units in 2015 and 2016, respectively. There was a 100% increase in nodulation in inoculated compared to uninoculated treatments. There was no effect of biochar and rhizobium inoculation on number of days to 50% flowering, podding, v physiological maturity and on plant height. However, plant height varied with genotypes. Biochar application increased above ground biomass by 17% (10 t ha-1) and 12% (20 t ha-1), and 100 seed weight by 9% (10 t ha-1) and 7% (20 t ha-1) in Thohoyandou in 2015. Rhizobium inoculation increased yield and yield components in Thohoyandou in both seasons; biomass was greater by (31 and 23%), grain yield (26 and 24%), number of pods per plant (18 and 31%), and 100-SW (10 and 13%) in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Similarly, rhizobium inoculation increased biomass (53.4%), grain yield (81%), number of pods per plant (54%) and number of seeds per pod (89%) in Nelspruit in 2015. Genotype did not affect yield and yield components in Nelspruit. In contrast, genotype affected above ground biomass, grain yield, harvest index, number of pods per plant, and number of seeds per pod in 2015 in Thohoyandou with ACC #6 producing greater yield compared to ACC #4 and 5. The analysis for native rhizobia showed that agricultural fields in Nelspruit and Thohoyandou lack effective strains of rhizobium. The identified strains according to 16s gene region were Klebsiella variicola, Burkholderia cenocepacia, Bacillus subtilis and Ochrobactrum spp. The effects of biochar and rhizobium inoculation were more pronounced in Thohoyandou compared to Nelspruit. Therefore biochar and rhizobium inoculation may improve chickpea productivity in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces through improved soil pH, nodulation, growth, yield and yield components. / NRF

Thesis (MTech (Horticulture Science))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009 / The study used common bean (P. vulgaris L. variety Provider) in a spilt-split-plot design involving 2 levels of Rhizobium inoculation (with and without rhizobia), 3 levels of lime (0, 2 and 3 t.ha-1) and 3 levels of molybdenum (0, 6 and 12 g.kg-1 of seeds) in a glasshouse experiment. The glasshouse experiment was then verified in the field during 2008 and 2009 cropping seasons. The aim was to assess the effects of Rhizobium inoculation, molybdenum and lime supply on: i) yield and yield components of the P. vulgaris L. ii) Changes in soil pH and the concentrations of selected plant-available nutrients in the rhizosphere, iii) photosynthesis and chlorophyll formation in P. vulgaris L. and (iv) plant growth and N2-fixation in P. vulgaris L. The results showed that Rhizobium inoculation had significant effects in increasing yield components and ultimately the final seed yield. Rhizobial inoculation also significantly increased the levels of chlorophyll content in leaves, improved all photosynthetic parameters, increased dry matter yield of different organs and decreased 15N values in all organs assessed. As a result, % nitrogen derived from atmosphere (%Ndfa) in all organs as well as the amount of N derived from fixation was improved. In the field, the whole plant level of N-fixation of P. vulgaris L. from Rhizobium inoculation accounted for approximately 33 kg N.ha-1. Furthermore, soil pH and the concentration of mineral nutrients (P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn) in the rhizosphere were significantly increased with Rhizobium inoculation when compared with the control.

Submitted by Claudia Rocha (claudia.rocha@udesc.br) on 2018-03-07T12:57:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PGCS14MA146.pdf: 911298 bytes, checksum: 15d2a151b2d75b3012172eac62b96c08 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-07T12:57:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PGCS14MA146.pdf: 911298 bytes, checksum: 15d2a151b2d75b3012172eac62b96c08 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-29 / The present study aimed to evaluate the influence and residual effect of using the dregs, the residue of pulp industry and dolomitic limestone on nodulation, nitrogen accumulation and dry matter of shoot for beans. The study was conducted in a greenhouse in CAV / UDESC campus in Lages SC, using alítico Haplumbrept, taken from an area where in 2004 were applied superficially in an experimental design in randomized blocks, four replications of dimensions 8 m x 8 m . Two separate experiments, one experiment appointed without any fertilization and the second experiment, where there was a fertilizer of potassium chloride (KCl) and triple superphosphate (STF) were implanted. The soil was collected from 0-20 cm in treatments with lime at a dose of 10.5 mg ha-1 (a full dose of corrective recommended by SMP), dregs at a dose of 13 mg ha-1 (a full dose corrective recommended by SMP) and the control treatment without application of corrective. In addition to these treatments were tested two levels of inoculation factor, namely rhizobia inoculation and treatment without inoculation. The experiments were conducted in a 3 x 2 factorial (three levels of correction factor and two levels of soil inoculation), with 4 replicates, for a total of 6 treatments and 24 sampling units in a completely randomized design. The plants were harvested 40 days after emergence and variable dry matter of shoot (DMS), total nitrogen accumulated per plant (Total N), number of nodules per plant (NNP) and dry weight of nodules per plant (DWNP). Data were subjected to analysis of variance, and when significant, were compared by Tukey test at 5% probability. The use of rhizobia did not result in accumulation of nitrogen in the shoot. The application of corrective as dregs of soil acidity had a beneficial residual effect on dry weight of shoots of bean / O presente estudo visou avaliar a influência e efeito residual do uso do dregs, resíduo da indústria de celulose e do calcário dolomítico, sobre a nodulação, acúmulo de nitrogênio e massa seca da parte aérea em feijoeiro. O estudo foi conduzido em casa de vegetação no campus CAV/UDESC em Lages SC, utilizando Cambissolo Húmico alítico, retirado de uma área onde em 2004 foram aplicados superficialmente em um delineamento experimental em blocos ao acaso, quatro repetições e parcelas de dimensões 8 m x 8 m. Foram implantados dois experimentos distintos, nomeados experimento 1, sem qualquer tipo de adubação e o experimento 2, onde houve a adubação de cloreto de potássio (KCl) e superfosfato triplo (STF). O solo foi coletado da camada 0-20 cm nos tratamentos que receberam calcário na dose de 10,5 mg ha-1 (uma dose completa de corretivo recomendada pelo índice SMP), dregs na dose de 13 mg ha-1 (uma dose completa de corretivo recomendada pelo índice SMP) e o tratamento testemunha sem aplicação de corretivo. Adicionalmente a estes tratamentos testaram-se dois níveis do fator inoculação, a saber, inoculação com rizóbio e a testemunha sem inoculação. Os experimentos foram instalados em um fatorial 3 x 2 (três níveis do fator correção de solo e dois níveis de inoculação), com 4 repetições, perfazendo um total de 6 tratamentos e 24 unidades amostrais, em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado. As plantas foram coletadas 40 dias após a emergência e foram avaliadas as variáveis matéria seca de parte aérea (MSPA), nitrogênio total acumulado por planta (NTotal), número de nódulos por planta (NNP) e massa seca de nódulos por planta (MSNP). Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância, e quando significativos, foram comparados pelo Teste de Tukey ao nível de 5% de probabilidade. O uso do rizóbio não resultou em acúmulo de nitrogênio na parte aérea. A aplicação do dregs como corretivo da acidez do solo apresentou efeito residual benéfico na massa seca da parte aérea do feijoeiro