Performance of chickpea,lentil and lupin nodulated with indigenous or inoculated rhizobia micropartners under nitrogen,boron, cobalt and molybdenum fertilization schedules

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum), lentil (Lens esculenta) and lupin (Lupinus albus) responded to inoculation with their respective symbiotants:Rhizobium loti, Rhizobium leguminosarum biovarviceae andBradyrhizobium sp. (Lupinus) alone or with (NH₄)₂SO₄ at 30 ppm N. Soil application of Na₂MoO₄.2H₂O at 3 ppm Mo, CoCl₂.6H₂O at 2 ppm Co²⁺ or Na₂B₄O₇.10H₂O at 1 ppm B with 0 and 30 ppm N increased nodule weight and plant dry weight and N-content 60 days after sowing and seed yield, seed size and the N and P contents of seed. Nodule numbers slightly decreased with application of such chemicals. Mo enhanced performance of the three plants more than Co and B. Yield, total N and P-contents of lupin were comparable with those of chickpea or lentil and lupin had the highest levels of both N₂-fixation and N absorption from the fertilizer. IndigenousR. leguminosarum biovarviceae was more established in the soil compared with the other two, chickpea and lupin, micropartners.