A study on evaluation of nitrogen fixation potential in soybean cultivar using commercial and indigenous strains

Earthen pots experiments were conducted for the evaluation of nitrogen fixing potential of three indigenous Bradyrhizobium japonicum isolates and one commercial inoculum (Narmada biofertilizer) in three commonly grown soybean cultivars viz., JS-335, JS-9305 and JS-7322. Nitrogen fixation was assessed in terms of root nodules number, root and shoot length and their dry weight. Results indicate that the indigenous isolates were more efficient than commercial isolate. When the indigenous isolates of B. japonicum were used, NOPP increased significantly in comparison to commercial inoculum. Similarly, indigenous isolates also showed significantly higher values in the case of root/shoot length its dry weight over commercial isolate. Although this is a preliminary study, it appears from the results that the indigenous strains of B. japonicum are more promising and efficient as compared to commercial inoculum.