Response of four common bean cultivars to granular inoculant in a short-season dryland production system

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Abstract
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is considered to be a poor N fixer relative to other legumes. However, considerable genotypic variability between cultivars is known to exist. Determining the importance of the host genotype to the symbiotic process will assist breeders in developing bean cultivars with improved N2 fixing capacity. Field experiments were conducted at two locations in Saskatchewan for two seasons to assess the N2 fixation rates of four common bean cultivars differing in growth habit and maturity. Beans were inoculated using a granular inoculant applied in the seedrow or in a sideband, or not inoculated at all. Inoculation resulted in greater nodule dry mass, shoot dry mass, seed yield and amount of N derived from atmosphere as compared with the uninoculated control. The response to inoculant application was cultivar specific, with N derived from the atmosphere ranging from a low of 51% (CDC Camino) to a high of 78% (CDC Pinnacle). The cultivars responded similarly to inoculant placement. The sideband treatment was associated with a delay in maturity. This may limit the suitability of this treatment where early maturity of the crop is critical. Key words: Phaseolus vulgaris, common bean, Rhizobium, N2 fixation, inoculation

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