Molecular Soil Biology 2015, Vol.6, No.4, 1-12
9
root depositions. Khan et a l. (2003) found
below-ground N constituted 24 % of total plant N for
faba bean and 68 % for chickpea. In the field,
below-ground N represent around 30% of plant N, and
rhizodeposited N often accounted for 88–97% of
below-ground N (Fustec et al
.,
2010). The influence of
legume material on soil N availability and crop yields
has also been reported (Collins et al
.
2007;
Schellenberg et al
.
2009). Most estimates of N
2
fixation are based solely on above ground plant
biomass, but as most of this N is removed in grain, the
importance of belowground deposition of fixed N in
maintaining the soil-N balance may not be ignored.
Quantifying N in legume root systems is fundamental
to understanding its effects on soil mineral N fertility
and supply of N to crops in legume-based rotations
(Khan et al
.,
2002) to determine the rate of N fertilizer
application to succeeding crops.
Conclusion
Legumes are very important both ecologically
and agriculturally because they are responsible for a
substantial part of the global flux of N
2
to fixed forms.
For legume-based farms, the effectiveness of fertility
maintenance depends upon the balance of N-fixing
legumes and N-depleting non-legumes in the rotation.
Nitrogen fixation efficiency depends on rhizobial
strain, plant host, environmental factors, soil and their
interaction. All are interconnected in the control of N
2
fixation and yield of grain legumes. Variation in
nodulation and N
2
-fixation efficiency occur in a
rhizobial strain-legume cultivar specific manner.
Matching rhizobial strains to host legumes is the most
important factor in maximizing the productivity of
grain legumes. Rhizobia are also known to have a
constructive influence on the real chemistry of soil
nutrients and thus promote nutrient uptake. Properly
quantifying rhizobial strain and host-legume interaction
effects in diverse agro-ecologies is essential to identify
effective and efficient combinations for host-cultivar
specificity recommendation.
Integration of grain legumes into cropping systems
has been adopted in many regions. This gives
better economic returns to the farmers, as well as
contributing towards maintaining soil fertility. Owing
to a sustained rise in per capita income, growing
population and changing lifestyles, the demand for
grain legumes and their products has been growing
rapidly in the world. With the generation and transfer
of effective technologies for different production
environments, it is expected that grain legume
production will continua lly incr ease worldwide
following its demand in the future.
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