Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops. Vol. 1

Improvement of Grain Legume Production in Semi-Arid Kenya 179
Table 5. Effects of rhizobia inoculation on growth and nodulation of TB 21 DAE during the LR
season of 1999.
Treatment Nodule number Nodule dry weight Plant dry weight
(plant –1 ) (mg plant –1 ) (g plant –1 )
TB + N* 10 b 4.9 b 2.8 a
Control 10 b 4.8 b 2.2 a
TB + R3254 16 a 7.8 a 2.7 a
TB + R446 10 b 4.7 b 2.6 a
TB + RTB 10 b 4.8 b 2.5 a
TB + R578 10 b 4.6 b 2.7 a
TB + R 579 10 b 5.0 b 2.4 a
Means (n = 28) followed by the same letter down the column are not statistically different (P ≤ 0.05)
by Duncan’s multiple range test.
* Nitrogen (N) fertilizer was top-dressed 10 DAE at the rate of 40 kg ha –1 of CAN (26% N) powder.
Source: After Shisanya, 2002.
Table 6. Effects of rhizobia inoculation on growth and nodulation of TB 42 DAE during the LR
season of 1999.
Treatment Nodule Nodule Pod Pod dry Plant dry
number dry weight number weight weight
(plant –1 ) (mg plant –1 ) (plant –1 ) (g plant –1 ) (g plant –1 )
TB + N* 20 b 05.2 b 24 b 25.3 b 11.6 a
Control 20 b 05.0 b 22 b 19.7 b 08.5 b
TB + R3254 43 a 10.4 a 35 a 43.4 a 11.8 a
TB + R446 20 b 05.6 b 18 b 18.6 b 07.5 b
TB + RTB 20 b 05.3 b 21 b 23.4 b 09.5 b
TB + R578 20 b 05.5 b 23 b 25.3 b 09.6 b
TB + R579 20 b 05.4 b 23 b 18.8 b 08.3 b
Means (n = 28) followed by the same letter down the column are not statistically different (P ≤ 0.05)
by Duncan’s multiple range test.
* Nitrogen (N) fertilizer was top-dressed 10 DAE at the rate of 40 kg ha –1 of CAN (26% N) powder.
Source: After Shisanya, 2002.
2.9.4. The SR season field results
The total rainfall amount received during the growing season was 507 mm. Treatment
R3254 had a significantly higher number of nodules per plant and hence nodule
dry weight (Table 8). Like in the previous season, there were no significant differences
in plant dry weights between the treatments, 21 DAE (Table 8).
At 42 DAE, tepary bean treated with R3254 had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher
nodule number; nodule dry weight, pod number and pod dry weight than the
other treatments (Table 9). Like in the LR season. No significant differences were
observed in plant dry weight between treatments N and R3254 at 42 DAE. However,
at final harvest treatment R3254 had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher pod dry
weight, plant dry weight, 100 seed weight, seed weight per plot and grain yield