Influence of bioinoculants on growth, nutrient uptake and yield of green gram [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

Green gram [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] seedlings were inoculated either individually with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi [Glomus fasciculatum (Gerd. & Trappe) Walker], Rhizobium japonicum, Cercospora sp. and Trichoderma harzianum or with various combinations using unsterile soil. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design under nursery conditions. Plants were harvested at 20 days interval up to 60 days after inoculation. Bioinoculation increased plant growth, leaf area, chlorophyll contents, nodule numbers, nodule dry weights, pod numbers and dry weights, plant tissue and soil nutrient depletion. Microbial populations also increased in inoculated soils, which were related to each other. This study clearly indicates that the effect of bioinoculation in green gram was enhanced, when plants were inoculated with various combinations of microbes compared to individual applications.