Responses of Agronomic Characteristics of Maize and Cowpea to Mycorrhiza and Mesorrhizobial Bacteria in Intercropping

Subject Areas : Journal of Crop Ecophysiology

Z. Marzban ¹ , M.R. Ameriyan ² , M. Mamarabadi ³

1 - Young Researchers and Elite Club, Aligoudarz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Aligoudarz, Iran
2 - Staff member, Industrial University of Shahrood , Shahrood, Iran
3 - Staff member, Industrial University of Shahrood , Shahrood, Iran

Received: 2013-05-27 Accepted : 2014-07-02 Published : 2014-06-22

Keywords: Mycorrhiza, Intercropping additive, Mesorrhizobium,

Abstract :

To evaluate the response of agronomic characteristics of maize and cowpea to mycorrhiza and mesorrhizobial bacteria in intercropping, this study was carried out at the Research Field of Industrial Shahrood University in 2010 using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were: Z: maize monocropping, B: bean monocropping, I: intercropping of maize and bean, ZM: maize monocropping + mycorrhizae, BM: bean monocropping + mycorrhizae, BB: bean monocropping + mesorhizobuim bacteria, BMB: bean monocropping + mycorrhizae + mesorhizobium bacteria, IM: intercropping + mycorrhizae, IB: intercropping +mesorhizobium bacteria and IMB: intercropping + mycorrhizal +mesorhizobium bacteria. The results showed that treatment effects on seed yield per plant, leaf chlorophyll content, dry weight of cowpea pods, dry weight of maize ear, number of seeds per earrow, totalbiological yieldinintercropping and partialland equivalent ratioof both cowpea and maizewere significant (p<0.01). The highest seed yields per plant for cowpea and maize were 10 and 108 grams in monocropping of cowpea+ mesorhizobuim and monocropping of maize+mycorrhiza treatments respectively. Highest partial LER of maize and cowpea were respectively 1.7 and 1.47 in the intercropping and intercropping+ mycorrhiza fungi and mesorrhizobium bacteria treatments. Theresultsshowed that land equivalent ratio was more than one for maize and cowpea. This indicates a positive relations between members of mixed cropping against monocrpping and superiority of intercroppingofmaizeandcowpea as compared to their monocroppings.