Effect of Fungicides and Bioinoculants on Pisum sativum

Fungicides seed dressing provides benefits by preventing fungal infection, conversely, damage the non-target organisms including plant and its symbiotic bacteria. In this study, the effect of two fungicides, carbendazim and thiophanate methyl, was assessed on the growth of pea and its symbiotic bacteria, Rhizobium leguminosarum. In vitro studies revealed that recommended concentration of fungicides did not affect the growth of tested bacteria till the late stationary phase. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of fungicides and bioinoculants application on nodulation and pod yield of pea. Overall, nodulation and pod yield was significantly improved by the combined application of fungicides and bioinoculants compared to the alone application of either bioinoculants or fungicides. Maximum improvement of 184% in nodule number was achieved by the combined application of R. leguminosarum PS-II and thiophanate methyl, whereas, maximum nodule dry weight of 156% by R. leguminosarum PS-I and thiophanate methyl compared to the control and was highest among the different treatments. On the other side, combine application of R. leguminosarum PS-I and carbendazim was found best by increasing 43% podyield over control. The study revealed that symbiotic bacteria have the ability to resist fungicide treated environment and combined application of fungicides and bioinoculants is a useful strategy for improved growth of pea. Received date: 11/01/2016 Accepted date: 02/05/2016 Published date: 05/05/2016 *For Correspondence Mohsin Tariq, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE) PAEC, Faisalabad, Pakistan, Tel: +0092-333-6601612 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]