Exploring the biochemical dynamics in faba bean (Vicia faba L. minor) in response to Orobanche foetida Poir. parasitism under inoculation with different rhizobia strains.

In Tunisia, Orobanche foetida Poir. is considered an important agricultural biotic constraint on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) production.

The potential of durum wheat-chickpea intercropping to improve the soil available phosphorus status and biomass production in a subtropical climate.

The intercropping system is a promising approach to augmenting the soil nutrient status and promoting sustainable crop production. However, it is not known whether intercropping improves the soil phosphorus (P) status in alluvial soils with low P under subtropical climates. Over two growing seasons--2019-2020 and 2020-2021--two experimental fields were employed to explore the effect of durum wheat (Dw) and chickpea (Cp) cropping systems on the soil available P.

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of chickpea rhizobia isolated from different areas of Tunisia.

Several phenotypic markers were used in this study to determine the biodiversity of rhizobial strains nodulating Cicer arietinum L. in various areas of Tunisia. They include symbiotic traits, the use of 21 biochemical substrates, and tolerance to salinity and pH.

Effect of salinity on root-nodule conductance to the oxygen diffusion in the Cicer arietinum-Mesorhizobium ciceri symbiosis.

Nodule conductance to O2 diffusion has been involved as a major factor of the inhibition of N2 fixation by soil salinity that severely reduces the production of grain legumes. In order to determine the effect of this constraint on the nodule conductance, oxygen uptake by the nodulated roots of Cicer arietinum was measured by recording the concentration of O2 as a function of pO2 in a gas-tight incubator. After germination and inoculation with the strain Mesorhizobium ciceri UPMCa7, the varieties Amdoun 1 and INRAT 93-1 were hydroponically grown in a glasshouse on 1L glass bottles filled with nutrient solution containing 25 mM NaCl.