Table 4.
Effect of rhizobia inoculation, bean variety, farm site, and their interactions on nodule dry weight, shoot dry weight, shoot nitrogen and phosphorus in the field.
| Treatments | Nodule dry weight (g plant−1) | Shoot dry weight (g plant−1) | % Shoot N | Shoot P (ppm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHIZOBIA INOCULANT | ||||
| ELM3 | 0.11 ± 0.06a | 11.90 ± 0.80a | 3.342 ± 0.115a | 3608.60 ± 192.49a |
| TC | 0.08 ± 0.02b | 9.58 ± 0.76b | 2.179 ± 0.099d | 2609.20 ± 256.97c |
| TB | 0.09 ± 0.01b | 10.56 ± 0.73b | 3.051 ± 0.081b | 3268.80 ± 193.23ab |
| TCB | 0.09 ± 0.02b | 9.92 ± 0.78b | 2.579 ± 0.057c | 3120.00 ± 202.54b |
| TUC | 0.06 ± 0.01c | 7.34 ± 0.54c | 1.766 ± 0.134e | 3018.10 ± 241.10b |
| VARIETY | ||||
| MAC 13 | 0.08 ± 0.01a | 9.63 ± 0.49a | 2.499 ± 0.105b | 2721.30 ± 116.85b |
| MAC 64 | 0.09 ± 0.01b | 10.08 ± 0.49a | 2.667 ± 0.089a | 3528.62 ± 147.61a |
| SITE | ||||
| EUM | 0.05 ± 0.01c | 4.79 ± 0.23c | 2.790 ± 1.01a | 3335.80 ± 205.31a |
| ELM | 0.11 ± 0.01a | 13.66 ± 0.49a | 2.844 ± 1.49a | 2956.30 ± 210.85b |
| TUM | 0.09 ± 0.02b | 10.87 ± 0.35b | 2.280 ± 0.93b | 3105.70 ± 228.51ab |
| TLM | 0.09 ± 0.01b | 10.13 ± 0.38b | 2.419 ± 1.06b | 3102.10 ± 159.10ab |
| P-VALUES OF THE MAIN FACTORS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS | ||||
| Variety | 0.015 | 0.095 | 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Site | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | 0.021 |
| Rhizobia inoculant | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Variety × Site | 0.069 | 0.993 | 0.052 | 0.061 |
| Variety × Rhizobia inoculant | 0.498 | 0.967 | 0.719 | 0.071 |
| Site × Rhizobia inoculant | 0.052 | 0.217 | 0.010 | 0.051 |
| Site × Rhizobia inoculant × Variety | 0.414 | 0.827 | 0.064 | 0.102 |
Means followed by same lower case letter(s) within the same column are not significantly different at p < 0.05 according to Tukey's HSD test. ELM3, Test native rhizobia isolate; TC, Consortium of native rhizobia; TB, Commercial inoculant (Biofix); TCB, Biofix combined with consortium; TUC, Negative control (Non-inoculated); MAC, Mid altitude climbers. ELM, Embu Lower Midland; EUM, Embu Upper Midland; TLM, Tharaka Nithi Lower Midland; TUM, Tharaka Nithi Upper Midland.