THE INFLUENCE OF RHIZOBIUM SEED INOCULATION AND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PHOSPHORUS APPLICATION ON GROWTH, YIELD AND QUALITY OF MASHBEAN (Vigra mungo L.)

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of Rhizobium seed inoculation (no inoculation and seed inoculation) and different levels of phosphorus (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg ha(-1)) on growth, yield and quality of mashbean (Vigna mungo L.) at Agronomic Research area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. The inoculation and different levels of phosphorus significantly affected all the growth and yield attributes. Seed inoculation of mashbean along with 120 kg ha(-1) phosphorus application showed highest plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 1000-grain weight, grain and biological yield of mashbean. The protein content of mashbean was not affected significantly by seed inoculation and different levels of phosphorus. The study reveals that Rhizobium seed inoculation and phosphorus application at the rate of 120 kg ha(-1) enhances the performance of mashbean and should be used for the betterment of crop productivity.