%0 Journal Article
%@ 0178-2762
%A Rupela, O P
%A Sudharshana, M R
%D 1990
%F icrisat:4967
%I Springer Verlag
%J Biology and Fertility of Soils
%N 3
%P 207-212
%T Displacement of native rhizobia nodulating chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) by an inoculant strain through soil solarization
%U http://oar.icrisat.org/4967/
%V 10
%X Soil solarization greatly reduced the native  chickpea Rhirbbium population. With inoculation, it  was possible to increase the population of the Rhizobium  in solarized plots. In the 1st year, 47% nodulation was  obtained with chickpea inoculant strain 1C 59 when introduced  with a cereal crop 2 weeks after the soil solarization  and having a native Rhizobium count of <log-'  soil, and only 13% when introduced 16 wceks after  solarization at the time the chickpeas were sown, with  2.01~d native rhizobia g-' soil. In the non-solarized  plots inoculated with 5.61~d native rhiiohia g-' soil,  only 6% nodulation was obtained with the inoculant. In  the succeeding ycar, non-inoculated chickpea was grown  on the same plots without any solarization or Rhizobium  inoculation The treatment that showed good establishment  of the inoculant strain in ycar I formed 6840 inoculant  nodules. Other treatments indicated a further reduction  in inoculant success, from 1% - 13% to  1 % - 9%. Soil solarization thus allowed an inoculant  strain to successfully displace the high native population  in the field and can serve as a research tool to compare  strains in the field, irreswive of comwtitive ability.
%Z We thank K. Papa Rao, P. V. S. Prasad, F.A. Khan,  and S. Chandramohan for assistance in the field and laboratory, Y.S.  Chauhan for help during solarizafion, the Soil Chemistry Unit of  ICRISAT for chemical analyses, and C. Johansen and P. S. Nutman for  their comments on the manuscript