Displacement of native rhizobia nodulating chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) by an inoculant strain through soil solarizationO PRupelaauthorM RSudharshanaauthorSoil 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.Chickpea1990Springer VerlagArticle