Soybean co-inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Azospirillum brasilense and nitrogen fertilization on plant nodulation and crop yield

Abstract

As new cultivation techniques arise, crops require the development of new technologies and management practices that aim higher yields with lower production cost. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of co-inoculation and different ways of application of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Azospirillum brasilense and nitrogen fertilization on nodulation and yield of soybean. The experiment was established in November 2013 in an area located in the Iguatemi Experimental Farm, of State University of Maringá (UEM). The design was a randomized block with four replications. The treatments consisted of a control, fertilization with nitrogen (200 kg N ha^-1), standard inoculation in seeds (liquid and peat inoculant), co-inoculation on seed and co-inoculation at sowing, using different doses of inoculant B. japonicum and A. brasilense. The following determinations were carried out in the field and in the laboratory: number of nodes at flowering, mass of nodules at flowering, the shoot dry mass, nitrogen content in the shoot, grain nitrogen content, number of pods/plant, thousand grain mass and yield. The results showed that inoculation through seed treatment with liquid inoculant presents an adequate option to farmers, in the conditions of this experiment. Nitrogen fertilization did not increase yield and yield components, being unnecessary.