title: BradyrhizobiumInoculants Enhance Grain Yields of Soybean and Cowpea in Northern Ghana.
abstract: This study evaluated the symbiotic effectiveness and economic evaluation ofRhizobiuminoculants with the objective of recommending the most effective inoculant strain for soybean and cowpea production in Northern Ghana. Field experiments were established in three locations using randomized complete block design with five blocks. A total of four treatments (Legumefix, Biofix, 100 kg N ha-1and uninoculated control for soybean and BR 3267, BR 3262, 100 kg N ha-1and uninoculated control for cowpea) were applied. At Nyankpala, inoculation of soybean with Legumefix and Biofix led to significant (P< 0.05) increases in nodule number (90-118%), nodule dry weight (>two-folds), and grain yield (12-19%) relative to the control. The Biofix effect on soybean grain yield was 1.5-fold of Legumefix. Similarly, inoculation of cowpea with BR 3262 and BR 3267 significantly (P< 0.05) increased nodule number (41-68%), nodule dry weight (45-65%), and grain yield (11-38%) relative to the control. Strain BR 3267 performed consistently (>two-folds) better than BR 3262 on grain yield. At Nyagli, there was no significant effect of inoculation on cowpea. Wilks lambda values (0.067, 0.039;P= 0.00) indicated that 93.3 and 96.1% of the variations observed in soybean and cowpea, respectively, were due to the applied inoculants. Biofix and BR 3267 were economically profitable with VCR ratio of 8.7 and 4.6, respectively. Based on grain yield and economic returns observed, Biofix and BR 3267 can be recommended in Nyankpala for inoculation of soybean and cowpea, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ulzen
authors.affiliation: Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Abaidoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Nana E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Mensah
authors.affiliation: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Cargele
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Masso
authors.affiliation: Soil Microbiology Laboratory, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: AbdelAziz H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: AbdelGadir
keywords: Biofix; Legumefix; cowpea; grain yield; inoculation; soybean