Performance of inoculated common bean in response to different cover crops and desiccation times

Abstract

The common bean requires high levels of nitrogen (N) to achieve high productivity, which can be supplied, at least partially, by the biological nitrogen fixation (BFN). Two field experiments were carried out in the winter season of 2015 aiming to evaluate the effects of different cover crops, desiccation times and the agronomic performance of the common bean inoculated with rhizobia. The experiments were assembled in a randomized block design with four replications, in a factorial split-plot arrangement with two additional treatments (5x4x2+2). The factors were composed of five cover crops, four desiccation times, two seed inoculation treatments and two additional controls (TN = 90 Kg N ha-1 and T0 = without N and without inoculation). The variables analyzed in the cover crops were dry mass (DM) and total nitrogen (Total-N). With the common bean, the chlorophyll content (CC), the number of nodules (NN), the nodule dry weight (NDW), the shoot dry weight (SDW), the root dry weight (RDW) and the grain yield (GY) were evaluated. The results showed that the agronomic performance of the common bean was not affected by the desiccation times of the cover crops, although the amount of Total-N accumulated by cover crops was influenced by sowing times. Inoculation of the common bean promoted an increase in the NN, NDW, CC and SDW. Higher GY of the common bean was achieved with its cropping after Brachiaria brizantha, Brachiaria ruziziensis, millet and fallow.