The Combined Effects of Gibberellic Acid and <i>Rhizobium</i> on Growth, Yield and Nutritional Status in Chickpea (<i>Cicer arietinum</i> L.)

• Main Authors: Munazza Rafique, Muhammad Naveed, Adnan Mustafa, Saleem Akhtar, Muneeb Munawar, Sadia Kaukab, Hayssam M. Ali, Manzer H. Siddiqui, Mohamed Z. M. Salem
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Agronomy
• Subjects: nutritional quality; nodulation; PGRs; <i>Rhizobium</i>; crop production; chickpea
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/1/105

Plant growth regulators and <i>Rhizobium</i> are actively involved in the regulation of flowering, pod formation, nodulation, and ultimately the growth and yield of legumes. However, very limited information is available on the combined effect of gibberellic acid (GA₃) and <i>Rhizobium</i> on growth attributes and yield of legume crops. This experiment was designed to fill this gap by studying the performance of chickpea under exogenous application of GA₃ (10⁻⁴ and 10⁻⁵ M) alone and in combination with <i>Rhizobium</i>. Exogenous application of GA₃ (10⁻⁵ M) combined with rhizobium inoculation gave the highest values for number of nodules per plant (16) and their dry biomass (0.22 g). Moreover, GA₃ application and seed inoculation with <i>Rhizobium</i>, when applied singly, significantly enhanced chickpea growth. However, the most promising results were obtained by the inoculation of <i>Rhizobium</i> accompanied with GA₃ (10⁻⁵ M). Plant height, grain and stover yield, and chlorophyll contents were enhanced up to 35%, 39%, 21%, and 51%, respectively. Likewise, the bioaccumulation of macronutrients (N, P and K) was maximum in plants receiving both <i>Rhizobium</i> inoculation and GA₃ application. It is concluded that the combined application of <i>Rhizobium</i> and GA₃ has synergistic effects on the growth, yield, and nutrient contents of chickpea.