Influence of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Phosphorus on Micronutrient Uptake in Cowpea. A Case Study of Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu) and Manganese (Mn)

Daniel Nyoki, Patrick A. Ndakidemi

School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2014.54056                

Abstract

The field and screen house experiments were carried out in the 2013 cropping season to assess the effects of B. japonicum inoculation and phosphorus supplementation on the uptake of micronutrients in the cowpea. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design where the main plots comprised two inoculation treatments (with and without B. japonicum inoculation) and sub plots included four different levels of phosphorus (0, 20, 40, and 80 kg P/ha). The results showed a significant improvement in the uptake of micronutrients in the B. japonicum inoculated treatments over the control. Phosphorus supplementation (40 kg P/ha) also showed a significant increase in the uptake of some micronutrients while decreasing the uptake of Zn in some plant organs. There was also a significant interaction between B. japonicum inoculation and phosphorus in the root uptake of Zn for the field experiment.

Keywords

Bioavailability; Legume; P-Micronutrient Interactions; Triple Super Phosphate

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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