Performance of chickpea (Cicer arietinumL.) to application of phosphorus and bio-fertilizer in laterite soil

Field experiments were conducted during the winter seasons of 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 at Sekhampur, West Bengal, India, to evaluate the performance of chickpea cultivar ‘Mahamaya-2’ with variable proportions of phosphorus (P) (0, 13.1, 26.2 and 39.3 kg/ha) and bio-fertilizers (no seed inoculation, inoculation with phosphobacterin [Pseudomonas striata] and co-inoculation of Rhizobium with phosphobacterin) in laterite soil (entisol) under rainfed conditions. P and bio-fertilizers application influenced significantly the growth attributes, nodulation, leghaemoglobin content, nitrogenase activity, yield components, seed and stover yields, harvest index and P uptake of chickpea, except test weight. The highest seed yield (1085 kg/ha) obtained with 39.3 kg P/ha, producing 40.7, 27.4 and 4.0% more yield, respectively, over control (no P input), 13.1 kg and 26.2 kg P/ha. The seed yield produced by 39.3 and 26.2 kg P/ha had no significant difference. Seed inoculation with Rhizobium and phosphobacterin was significantly superior over no inoculation or phosphobacterin inoculation alone. Combined application of P at 26.2 kg/ha and bio-fertilizers (Rhizobium and phosphobacterin) enhanced significantly all these characters compared to other levels of P with bio-fertilizer.