Impact of rhizobial inoculation and reduced N supply on biomass production and biological N fixation in common bean grown hydroponically.

Background: Testing rhizobial inoculation of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in hydroponics enables accurate quantification of biological N fixation (BNF) and provides information about the potential of reducing inorganic N fertilizer use. In view of this background, common bean grown on pumice was inoculated with Rhizobium tropici CIAT899 (Rt) and supplied with either full-N (total nitrogen 11.