The effect of Rhizobium, Azotobacter and microbial consortium (Rhizobium/Azotobacter) on some growth parameters and nodulation of chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.)

The adoption of microbial fertilizers such as rhizobium and azotobacter can reduce the requirement for chemical fertilizers and their negative impact on the environment. Overuse of chemical fertilizers to increase productivity has been shown to increase costs, reduce the microorganism population of the soil, and cause serious human and animal health problems by accumulating in plants and entering groundwater. For this purpose, a greenhouse experiment was conducted under controlled conditions with treatments of control, nitrogenous control, rhizobium, azotobacter, and the rhizobium/azotobacter consortium. Seeds inoculated with bacteria were planted on media containing sterile sand + perlite. Plants were harvested at 50% flowering, and some yield and yield components were determined. Inoculation of chickpea seeds with rhizobium, azotobacter, and rhizobium/azotobacter combinations of bacteria had different effects, and these differences were found to be statistically significant. In the experiment, rhizobium/azotobacter treatments were effective on the wet and dry weight of plant upper parts, the number of nodules, the weight of nodules, the nitrogen content of plant upper parts, and the nitrogen content of the root of the chickpea plant. In addition, rhizobium inoculation was effective on the plant's upper part and root length, and azotobacter inoculation was effective on the wet and dry weight of chickpea roots.