Research Article

Biological Nitrogen Fixation and Productivity of Soybean in Maize - Soybean Intercrop Under Tillage and Bradyrhizobium Inoculation on Alfisols of Northern Guinea Savanna, Nigeria

Omeke, J. O.1*, Yusuf, A. A2, Uyovbisere, O. E.2, Aliyu, I. A2
1 National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B 1067 Zaria, Nige-ria
2 Department of Soil Science, Faculty Agriculture/Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B 1044 Zaria, Nigeria.
* Corresponding author: omekejo@soilsjournalnigeria.com
Published: Apr, 2020
DOI: 10.67042/njss.2020.qkpzpyea
Pages: 15-24
Views: 427
Downloads: 791

Abstract

A field study was conducted in the 2011 cropping season to investigate the effect of tillage and bradyrhizobium inoculation of soybean on biological nitrogen fixa- tion (BNF) and yield components in maize-soybean intercropping systems. Treat- ments comprised of two tillage practices (conventional tillage (CT) and reduced tillage (RT)) as the main plot and bradyrhizobium inoculation at four levels (inoculated sole soybean, inoculated soybean/maize intercrop, uninoculated sole soybean, and uninoculated soybean/maize intercrop) as sub-plot. The treatments were laid in a split-plot under a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed that BNF and nitrogen derived from atmospheric (Ndfa) were significantly higher under RT than CT by 4.18 and 0.10 %, respec- tively. The BNF was consistently higher in the maize-soybean intercropping sys- tem with soybean inoculated with bradyrhizobium than in the uninoculated. BNF was 28.0 % higher in inoculated sole soybean and 80.2 % higher in inoculated maize-soybean intercrop than the uninoculated sole and intercropping system. Similarly, grain yield was 31.0 % higher in the inoculated sole soybean than the uninoculated sole and 33.7 % higher in inoculated maize/soybean intercrop than in the uninoculated intercrop. Biomass yields under inoculatedsole soybean and maize-soybean intercrop, respectively, were significantly higher than in uninocu- lated sole soybean and maize-soybean intercrop by 30.99and 33.66% for inocu- lated and uninoculated soybean sole and 34.44 and 30.40 % for inoculated and uninoculated intercrop. The results demonstrated that integrating bradyrhizobium inoculants and tillage will improve N fixation and productivity in maize-soybean- based intercropping systems in Alfisols of Northern savannah.

Keywords

was 28.0 % higher in inoculated sole soybean and 80.2 % higher in inoculated

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How to Cite

O., O. J., A, Y. A., E., U. O., & A, A. I. (2020). Biological Nitrogen Fixation and Productivity of Soybean in Maize - Soybean Intercrop Under Tillage and Bradyrhizobium Inoculation on Alfisols of Northern Guinea Savanna, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Soil Science, 30(1), 15-24. https://doi.org/10.67042/njss.2020.qkpzpyea

O. J. O., Y. A. A, U. O. E., and A. I. A, "Biological Nitrogen Fixation and Productivity of Soybean in Maize - Soybean Intercrop Under Tillage and Bradyrhizobium Inoculation on Alfisols of Northern Guinea Savanna, Nigeria," Nigerian Journal of Soil Science, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 15-24, April 2020. doi: 10.67042/njss.2020.qkpzpyea

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