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Volume 9
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Article

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Rhizobium Inoculants and Micronutrients as Technologies for Nepalese Common Bean Smallholder Farmers in the Real-World Context of Highly Variable Hillside Environments and Indigenous Farming Practices

by
Malinda S. Thilakarathna
1,
Tejendra Chapagain
1,
Bhawana Ghimire
2,
Roshan Pudasaini
2,
Bir Bhahadur Tamang
2,
Khem Gurung
2,
Khem Choi
2,
Laxmi Rai
2,
Samjhana Magar
2,
Bishnu BK
2,
Shankar Gaire
3 and
Manish N. Raizada
1,*
1
Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
2
Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Box 324, Pokhara 33700, Nepal
3
Department of Plant Pathology, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan 44209, Nepal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agriculture 2019, 9(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9010020
Submission received: 7 December 2018 / Revised: 29 December 2018 / Accepted: 8 January 2019 / Published: 12 January 2019
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Abstract

Studies have shown the potential of rhizobia and associated micronutrients to enhance symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes. Tens of millions of smallholder farmers, however, farm on mountain hillsides in highly variable soil and microenvironments, with different crop rotations, inputs and cultural practices. Here, on the terraces of the Nepalese Himalayas, we evaluated rhizobium inoculants (local, exotic), micronutrients (molybdenum, boron) and their combinations as technologies for smallholder farmers under highly variable microenvironments and traditional practices. The study was conducted as a series of participatory on-farm trials with 39 terrace farmers in two mid-hill districts of Nepal (Dhading, Kaski) from 2015 to 2017. Plots were measured for relevant agronomic traits. As expected, when comparing treatment plots with adjacent control plots within each farm, the results demonstrated tremendous farm-to-farm variability for nodulation, vegetative biomass, shoot nitrogen content, grain yield, and grain N content. Despite the variation observed, the data showed that the number of farms that showed yield increases from the rhizobium interventions, compared to those that suffered yield losses, was generally 2:1. We discuss potential experimental and socio-agronomic reasons for the variable results, including rainfall, which appeared critical. The results demonstrate the promise of rhizobium interventions for hillside smallholder farmers, even in a highly variable context.
Keywords: common bean; legume; nodule; nitrogen fixation; terrace farmer; micronutrients common bean; legume; nodule; nitrogen fixation; terrace farmer; micronutrients

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MDPI and ACS Style

Thilakarathna, M.S.; Chapagain, T.; Ghimire, B.; Pudasaini, R.; Tamang, B.B.; Gurung, K.; Choi, K.; Rai, L.; Magar, S.; BK, B.; et al. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Rhizobium Inoculants and Micronutrients as Technologies for Nepalese Common Bean Smallholder Farmers in the Real-World Context of Highly Variable Hillside Environments and Indigenous Farming Practices. Agriculture 2019, 9, 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9010020

AMA Style

Thilakarathna MS, Chapagain T, Ghimire B, Pudasaini R, Tamang BB, Gurung K, Choi K, Rai L, Magar S, BK B, et al. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Rhizobium Inoculants and Micronutrients as Technologies for Nepalese Common Bean Smallholder Farmers in the Real-World Context of Highly Variable Hillside Environments and Indigenous Farming Practices. Agriculture. 2019; 9(1):20. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9010020

Chicago/Turabian Style

Thilakarathna, Malinda S., Tejendra Chapagain, Bhawana Ghimire, Roshan Pudasaini, Bir Bhahadur Tamang, Khem Gurung, Khem Choi, Laxmi Rai, Samjhana Magar, Bishnu BK, and et al. 2019. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Rhizobium Inoculants and Micronutrients as Technologies for Nepalese Common Bean Smallholder Farmers in the Real-World Context of Highly Variable Hillside Environments and Indigenous Farming Practices" Agriculture 9, no. 1: 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9010020

APA Style

Thilakarathna, M. S., Chapagain, T., Ghimire, B., Pudasaini, R., Tamang, B. B., Gurung, K., Choi, K., Rai, L., Magar, S., BK, B., Gaire, S., & Raizada, M. N. (2019). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Rhizobium Inoculants and Micronutrients as Technologies for Nepalese Common Bean Smallholder Farmers in the Real-World Context of Highly Variable Hillside Environments and Indigenous Farming Practices. Agriculture, 9(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9010020

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