Browsing by Author "Mukelabai, Muyoba Florence"

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    Impact of biofertilizer inoculants on yields cowpea varieties grown in Omusati region of Namibia
    (University of Namibia, 2019) Mukelabai, Muyoba Florence
    Smallholder farmers in Omusati dependent on subsistence agriculture on poor sandy soils for their livelihood. They rarely apply nitrogen fertilizer during legume production due to their high cost of fertilizer. However, soil microorganisms specifically bacteria called rhizobia can contribute to increasing plant growth and yield. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the effect of introduced biofertlizer inoculants strain 1-7 and 14-3 on yields and growth of cowpea varieties cultivated in field experiments in Omusati region Namibia, then isolate and identify Rhizobia from nodules collected from field experiments at Mashare Irrigation and Training Center (MITC) (Kavango region). Five cowpea varieties namely Lutembwe, Bira, I2, Nakare and Shindimba were grown in four replicates in Omusati region (Ogongo campus), three treatments were used (Nitrogen fertilizer, Bioinoculant and non-Bioinoculant plots). Rhizobia were obtained from nodules of local varieties of cowpeas and identified by sequence analyses of rpoB genes. The average mean of all three treatments showed that Bira had the highest grain yield production with estimated mean of 1769kg/Ha, Nakare 1561 kg/Ha, Lutembwe 1344 kg/Ha, Shindimba 1161 kg/Ha and lastly 12 with lowest grain estimated mean of 841 kg/Ha. Rhizobia Isolated from MITC were identified as Bradyrhizobium sp. 1-7 and Bradyrhizobium elkanii. The study suggested that application of the bio-inoculants enhanced productivity.