Coinoculation of Azospirillum brasilense and Rhizobium tropici in common bean under agro-ecological system

Abstract

Common bean is one of the most important crop around the world and takes part in social
programs against hunger. It is a highly nitrogen (N)-demanding crop, which main source is the
biological N fixation (BNF). We aimed to assess the effects of inoculation or coinoculation of
Rhizobium tropici and Azospirillum brasilense in the common bean, variety IPR Tangará. The
experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four treatments: non-inoculated control,
inoculation with Rhizobium tropici, inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and the coinoculation
of both species, in five replications. Evaluation included number and mass of nodules,
shoot dry weight and leaf concentrations of N and phosphorus (P). The dataset was submitted
to F test and means comparisons by Tukey’s test. There was no differences between treatments,
probably because of the stable agroecological environment in which the trial was carried
out.