Impact of Mesorhizobium ciceri Inoculation on Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation of Various Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Cultivars

In this study, conducted in pots under outdoor conditions, the aim was to determine the symbiotic performance of 10 registered chickpea cultivars (Akça, Aksu, Arda, Aslanbey, Bayram, Botan, Cevdetbey, Göktürk, Ilgaz and Yazıcı) inoculated with Mesorhizobium ciceri. Inoculation significantly increased the average nodule fresh weights, nodule dry weights, shoot height, shoot fresh weights, shoot dry weights, root fresh weights, root dry weights, chlorophyll content, N% and total N compared to the un-inoculated control. The shoot fresh weight, N% and total N significantly correlated with nodule weight. Additionally, chlorophyll content is highly correlated with N%. The magnitude of response to inoculation differed significantly among cultivars, except shoot height and root fresh weight. The amount of fixed N per plant by the cultivars varied significantly between 0 (Ilgaz) and 23.5 mg (Akça). Akça, Arda, Aslanbey, Cevdetbey, Göktürk and Yazıcı were the most compatible cultivars based on the amount of fixed N. These results show that inoculation efficiency and nitrogen fixation in chickpea can be increased by selecting compatible cultivars.