| Summary: | Introduction of exogenous micro-organisms in the rhizosphere of crop plants for plant growth enhancement requires a careful study of factors affecting their performance. We studied the effect of pre-and post-emergence herbicides on nodulation, N-accumulation and yield of soybean inoculated with exotic Rhizobium strains in a Dystric Leptosol. The treatments comprising a control with no herbicide treatment, a pre-emergence herbicide treatment and a combination of preand post-emergence herbicide treatment were set out in the field using a randomized complete block design. The results show that both post-emergence and a combination of pre- and post-emergence herbicide treatments applied at 3 weeks after planting reduced nodulation, shoot dry weight, N-accumulation in the biomass and seed yield. Pre-emergence herbicide application reduced weed density and sparingly affected nodule dry weight, N-accumulation and seed yield. The results of the work suggest that selection and timing of herbicide application in soybean plots affect weed competition, nodulation, N-accumulation and overall performance of the crop in the field.
|
|---|