Exploring the effects of common bean varieties and Rhizobium strains on yield across diverse locations in Ethiopia

Abstract Interactions between varieties, management practices, and environmental conditions can significantly affect the effectiveness of Rhizobium strain inoculation. Therefore, multilocation studies were conducted over 2 years to examine the interactions between common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties and inoculation with Rhizobium strains and to select the most efficient strain for common bean inoculant production in Ethiopia. Factorial combinations of three common bean varieties (ACOS Keyo, Hawassa Dume, and Nasir), four levels of Rhizobium inoculation treatments (no inoculation, HB‐429 [check], HB‐A‐15, CB‐NAK‐91), and a N rate of 23 kg N ha −1 were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications across three distinct environments in Ethiopia during the 2017 and 2018 main cropping seasons. The results showed that Rhizobium inoculation, common bean varieties, the environment, and their interactions significantly ( p ≤ 0.01) affected nodule number, phenological characteristics (days to flowering and days to physiological maturity), and grain yield. The highest grain yield of common bean varieties (3200 kg ha −1 ) was recorded from the inoculation with the HB‐429 and HB‐A‐15 Rhizobium strains, respectively. The Hawassa Dume and Nasir varieties inoculated with the HB‐A‐15 strain produced the highest grain yields. The Hawassa Dume variety inoculated with HB‐429 and HB‐A‐15 strains, followed by the Nasir variety supplied with nitrogen fertilizer, was identified as the most stable and highest‐yielding treatment based on the average environment coordination views of the crop genotype × Rhizobium × environment interaction biplot. Thus, it can be concluded that the Hawassa Dume and Nasir varieties, when inoculated with HB‐429 and HB‐A‐15 strains and supplemented with a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer as a starter, are recommended for common bean production in western, southern, and northwestern Ethiopia.