Effect of Salinity on Growth, Nodulation and Nitrogen Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.)

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Abstract
Chickpea cultivar ILC 482 was inoculated with salt-tolerant Rhizobium strain Ch191 in solution culture with different salt concentrations added either immediately with inoculation or 5 d later. The inhibitory effect of salinity on nodulation of chickpea occurred at 40 dS m−1 (34.2 mol m−3 NaCl) and nodulation was completely inhibited at 7 dS m−1 (61.6 mol m−3 NaCl); the plants died at 8 dS m−1 (71.8 mol m−3 NaCl). Chickpea cultivar ILC 482 inoculated with Rhizobium strain Ch191spcstr was grown in two pot experiments and irrigated with saline water. Salinity (NaCl equivalent to 1–4 dS m−1) significantly decreased shoot and root dry weight, total nodule number per plant, nodule weight and average nodule weight. The results indicate that Rhizobium strain Ch191 forms an infective and effective symbiosis with chickpea under saline and non-saline conditions; this legume was more salt-sensitive compared to the rhizobia, the roots were more sensitive than the shoots, and N2 fixation was more sensitive to salinity than plant growth.