Abstract

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of different biofertilizers on the growth and biochemical characters of red gram Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. General growth characters such as shoot length, root length, fresh weight and dry weight were recorded and the biochemical parameters such as chlorophyll, carotenoid, glucose and protein were estimated. A significant increase was found both in growth and biochemical characters due to the inoculation biofertilizers. The shoot length and the root length were higher in the co-inoculation of three biofertilizers in all treated plants than control. The fresh weight was higher in the plant treated with the co-inoculation of three biofertilizers than the individually treated plants. The dry weight of plants was higher in plants treated with Azospirillum. Chlorophyll and carotenoid content showed much significant increase in all the biofertilizer treated plants. Glucose content was higher in plants treated with the co-inoculation of three biofertilizers followed by Rhizobium alone. The protein content was comparatively more in plants treated with the co- inoculation of three biofertilizers followed by Azospirillum alone. The study revealed that the biofertilizers plays a significant role in the growth and biochemical characters of Red gram Cajanus cajan.

Key words: Biofertilizers, Growth and Biochemical characters, Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp