Enhancement of the green manuring potential of Sesbania rostrata for the uplands through Rhizobial inoculation
1993
Manguiat, I.J. | Calo, M.U. | Rocamora, P.M. | Perez, A.S. | Singleton, P. (Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, College, Laguna (Philippines))
Field studies were conducted to: (a) compare the performance of promising local isolates of stem-nodulating rhizobia with that of ORS 571 (standard strain) in influencing nodulation, nitrogen fixation and biomass production of S. rostrata and (b) determine the extent by which S. rostrata and P. calcaratus could substitute for chemical N fertilizer in corn production. Results showed that inoculating S. rostrata with appropriate rhizobial isolate improved plant height significantly over the uninoculated plants under upland conditions. Inoculation also improved stem nodulation, stem nodule N2 fixation, N accumulation, and fresh biomass production indicating that stem inoculation with appropriate rhizobial isolate could enhance considerably the green manuring potential of S. rostrata in the uplands. The performance of a local isolate (Srs 1) was comparable with that of ORS 571 (standard strain from ORSTOM). Inoculated S. rostrata and P. calcaratus released significant amounts of available N at 15 and 60 days after their incorporation as green manure into upland soil in the field. Consequently, there was a marked improvement in the growth and yield of corn. Based on the regression of corn yield with N rates, green manuring with S. rostrata and P. calcaratus would be equivalent to N application rates of 38 and 49 kg N/ha, respectively. Both legumes could be used as green manure crops by resource-poor farmers in developing countries. However, in agro-environments where S. rostrata might not fit well, P. calcaratus may serve as a better alternative
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