EN
Legumes as an important functional group of land plants are recognized to grow in water-deficient and low-nutrient environment because of their ability to form symbiosis with nitrogen fixing rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which improve nutrient acquisition from the soil and help plants to be well established. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the symbiotic potential of AM fungi, Glomus intraradices alone and/or in combination with two Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains MN-S and TAL-102 in Vigna radiata. Field experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of different microbial symbiotic associations on growth and yield of V. radiata. Dual inoculation of G. intraradices and both bacterial inoculants showed better potential of plant growth promotion over single inoculation of G. intraradices or bacterial inoculants. Both bacterial inoculants in combination with AM proved best with 3.78, 30.17 and 46.80 g plant⁻¹ dry weight at 25, 45 and 90 days after sowing (DAS), respectively. Maximum grain yield of 1,506.87 kg ha⁻¹ as well as phosphorus contents of 1.981 mg g⁻¹ root, 3.830 mg g⁻¹ shoot and 4.935 mg g⁻¹ grain were observed with mix bacterial inoculants and AM at 90 DAS. The interactive effect of bacterial inoculants and AM was synergistically significant which improved the nitrogen contents by 68, 20 and 17% in root, shoot and grain, respectively, compared to uninoculated control at 90 DAS. The present study suggests the suitability of G. intraradices and B. japonicum having synergistic or additive interaction to be used as composite inoculum for enhancing crop production of V. radiata.