Effect of Native Soybean Rhizobia and AM Fungi in the Improvement of Nodulation, Growth, Soil Enzymes and Physiological Status of Soybean Under Microcosm Conditions

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi-rhizobia synergism is a promising approach for improving the growth and nutrition of soybean. It is, therefore, imperative to evaluate potential soybean rhizobia and AM fungi singly to identify their stress protectant physiological traits, enhance growth and nodulation of soybean and improve soil health. The efficacy of five root nodulating soybean rhizobia and an indigenous AM fungus, Glomus intraradices, was evaluated on soybean (cv JS 93-05) under microcosm conditions. In general, all the inoculated plants showed higher fresh shoot and root weight, and nodule number as compared to uninoculated control plants. The plants inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum (strain USDA 110), B. liaoningense 17c (MTCC 10753) and AM fungus showed higher growth and nodulation. However, the plants inoculated with rhizobia 12c (unidentified), B. japonicum DE2-5a (MTCC 10751) and USDA 205 did enhance nodulation but found at par with the other inoculated plants. Interestingly, these inoculated plants found to have comparatively higher nitrogen and phosphorus uptake. B. japonicum (strain USDA 110), native slow growing rhizobia isolate DE2- 5a and AM fungi were also found to stimulate proline content in shoots, and trehalase and fluorescein diacetate activities in the rhizosphere soil. Considering the growth and physiological responses of AM fungi and rhizobial strains (DE2-5a and 17c) to soybean, there is a need for further testing the synergistic responses to evolve better survival candidates under drought-stress conditions.