Untitled

Abstract

The present study was intended to investigate individual and interactive effects of Funneliformis mosseae (an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus) and Rhizobium (a root nodulating bacterium) on growth and yield of groundnut growing under natural conditions. Plants growing in arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and/or Rhizobium inoculated soil exhibited superior growth, fitness and yield. Improvement in plant growth due to microbial inoculations had a significant correlation with their response to mycorrhization, relative water content, chlorophyll content, nutrient uptake, and antioxidant activity. The increase in all parameters except N acquisition and protein concentration was significantly higher on the formation of AM than rhizobial inoculation, albeit their combination displayed synergism to uplift metabolism and yield of host legume. Thus, the study indicated that synergistic behavior among microorganisms (AM and Rhizobium) had the most affirmative effects on the growth and harvest index of groundnut variety-TG37A and helped plants to thrive better in soils without chemical fertilizers. Contribution/Originality: This study contributes to the existing literature of tolerance aptitude of groundnut variety-TG37A against existing adverse environment. This study also documents the importance of AM and Rhizobium in improving the growth and metabolism of this variety. 1. INTRODUCTION Arachis hypogaea, an annual oil yielding plant of Fabaceae family, is one of the most important cultivated food legume (rank second) and edible oilseed crop (rank fourth) in world (Yol, Furat, Upadhyaya, & Uzun, 2018). However, biotic diseases and extremes of abiotic factors like temperature, drought, and soil salinity in semi-arid tropics are the severe limitations affecting both groundnut yield and excellence. In addition, impending climate change, poor agronomic practices, and inadequate inputs have further accentuated these harmful impacts (Krishna,