Study of symbiosis effects of Sinorhizobium sp. on growth and forage production of sainfoin ecotypes (Onobrichis vicifolia)

In order to study symbiosis effects of Sinorhizobium sp. on sainfoin (Onobrichis vicifolia) growth, 6 strains of Sinorhizobium sp. were collected from sainfoin fields in (Ardabil, Shahrekord, Samirom, Karaj, Khorramabad). The strains were inoculated on four sainfoin ecotypes originated from Ghazvin, Kermanshah, Aligoodarz and Fridonshahr, Iran. A factorial experiment on the basis of completely randomized design with four replications was conducted at Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands of Iran during 2012. The strains were propagated with YAM solution and then were inoculated on seeds of the sainfoin ecotypes. Seeds were sown in pots and treated with Hoagland solution (without N) in glasshouse and outdoor for 90 days. On the harvest date, data were collected on root and stem length, fresh and dry weight of roots, stems and node number of root. Data were analyzed and means were classified using Duncan method. Results showed significant effects of ecotypes, Sinoryzobium sp. and their interaction effects (P