Effectiveness of native Rhizobium on nodulation and yield of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in Eastern Ethiopia

This study was initiated to evaluate the effect of locally isolated Rhizobium on nodulation and yield of faba bean at Haramaya, Ethiopia for three consecutive years. Ten treatments comprising of eight effective isolates of rhizobia, uninoculated, and N-fertilized (20kg N ha(-1)) were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The result of the experiment indicated that all inoculation treatments increased nodule number and dry weight over the control check in all cropping seasons. The result, however, showed the non-significant effect of Rhizobium inoculation on shoot length, number of tiller per plant and 100 seed weight in all cropping season. Inoculating Haramaya University Faba Bean Rhizobium (HUFBR)-15 in 2011 and National Soil Faba Bean Rhizobium (NSFBR)-30 in 2012 and 2013 gave the highest grain yields (4330, 5267 and 4608kgha(-1)), respectively. These records were 75%, 48%, and 5% over the uninoculated treatment of respective years. Over the season, NSCBR-30 inoculation resulted in the highest nodulation and grain yield production as compared to the other treatments. In general, isolates from central Ethiopia were better than those isolated from eastern Ethiopia and Tropical Agricultural Legume (TAL)-1035 in enhancing faba bean production at Haramaya site. Therefore, NSFBR-30 is recommended as a candidate isolate for faba bean biofertilizer production in eastern Ethiopia soils.