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Endalkachew Wolde-meskel, country coordinator for Ethiopia, represented N2Africa and presented a keynote address under the topic “Sustainable intensification of grain legumes production with smallholders in Africa through nitrogen fixation: highlights from the N2Africa project” at the biennial meeting of ICLGG 2017 in Hungary last September. |
Phaseolus vulgaris L. production in Sub Saharan Africa is affected by nitrogen deficiency in the soils. Rhizobium inoculants are considered as the best solution to curb the problem of soil nitrogen deficiency. However, accessibility of rhizobia inoculants in most African countries is a challenge, hence leads to most inoculants being imported from abroad.
Field experiments were carried out in the Savelugu/Nanton and Yendi Municipalities in the northern region of Ghana in 2014 to investigate the effect of inoculation, rates and time of nitrogen fertilizer application on growth, yield, agronomic efficiency of mineral N and biological nitrogen fixation of soybean. The experiment was laid out in a split-split plot, arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications at both locations.
Productivity of groundnut has been generally low in Nigeria owing to soil fertility problems arising from low soil pH and low organic matter content of the soils leading to deficiency of major nutrients, especially, N and P. Current fertilizer recommendations are based on single nutrient trials and do not take into consideration the use of lime, manure or micronutrients.
Nitrogen is one of the most abundant elements in the atmosphere, and BNF is the main source of N for Legumes plants. Faba bean is one of the most important Legumes plants in Ethiopia and widely grown in Amhara regional state.In view of the presence of heterogeneous agroecologies found in the country, more diversity and effective strains nodulating faba bean are expected. This study was initiated with the objectives of isolation, characterization, and selection of symbiotically efficient faba bean rhizobia from some part of Wello, Ethiopia.