Improved grain yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) under water deficit after inoculation with Bradyrhizobium elkanii and Rhizophagus irregularis
Rui S. Oliveira A B H , Patrícia Carvalho B , Guilhermina Marques C , Luís Ferreira D , Sandra Pereira C , Mafalda Nunes B , Inês Rocha A , Ying Ma A , Maria F. Carvalho E , Miroslav Vosátka F G and Helena Freitas A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal.
B Department of Environmental Health, Research Centre on Health and Environment, School of Allied Health Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Rua Dr António Bernardino de Almeida, 400, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal.
C University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (UTAD-CITAB), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
D Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
E CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenuenida General Norton de Matos, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal.
F Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Zámek 1, 252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic.
G Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Charles University, Faculty of Science, Viničná 5, Praha 2, Czech Republic.
H Corresponding author. Email: rsoliveira@uc.pt
Crop and Pasture Science 68(11) 1052-1059 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP17087
Submitted: 18 February 2017 Accepted: 6 June 2017 Published: 17 July 2017
Abstract
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.), a plant broadly cultivated for human consumption and animal feed, is among the most nutritious grain legumes. Most of the areas where cowpea is grown are drought-prone, and there is a need to address this issue, with water scarcity becoming a major concern in agriculture. Cowpea is known to form mutualistic associations with nitrogen-fixing (NF) bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. These beneficial soil microorganisms have the capacity to benefit plants by reducing the effects of environmental stresses, including drought. Our aim was to study the effect of inoculation with Bradyrhizobium elkanii and Rhizophagus irregularis on the growth and grain yield of cowpea under water-deficit conditions. Under moderate water deficit, grain yield was increased by 63%, 55% and 84% in plants inoculated with B. elkanii, R. irregularis and B. elkanii + R. irregularis, respectively. Under severe water deficit, inoculation with B. elkanii and B. elkanii + R. irregularis resulted in grain-yield enhancement of 45% and 42%, respectively. The use of cowpea inoculated with NF bacteria and AM fungi has great potential for sustainable agricultural production under drought conditions.
Additional keywords: plant-microbe interactions, pulses, rhizobia, sustainable agriculture, tripartite symbiosis, water stress.
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