Evaluation of Rhizobium Inoculants On Groundnut Yield In Uganda.

Groundnut (peanut) is an important oil crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for both income generation and food security. Valencia peanuts with red skin have a short growing season compared to the other two market types namely Runner and Virginia types. The objectives of our study is to determine the effect of introduced rhizobia strains on the yield performance of elite peanut cultivars in Uganda The specific objectives are (a) To determine the viability of the introduced strains under Ugandan conditions (b) To compare the effectiveness and competitiveness of introduced rhizobia strains with the native strains on elite peanut cultivars (c) To determine the effect of the selected rhizobia strains on growth and yield parameters of elite peanut cultivars under field conditions. Preliminary results in the lab showed only four strains namely Liquid Hi-stick, Granular spherical, Liquid lift and Liquid first step for effectiveness and were competitive compared to the local strain that is most widely used in Uganda. A field experiment was set up to determine the effect of these four rhizobia strains on growth and yield parameters of two peanut cultivars in comparison to the control local strain. The experiment was a split plot in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The details of this study will be discussed in detail. The results from this research are intended to help farmers to cost effectively boast their yields and reduce food shortage without causing harm to the environment.