IMPACT OF RHIZOBIUM INOCULATION ON LEGUME YIELD AND ITS RELEVANCE IN NEPALESE CROPPING SYSTEM: A REVIEW
ABSTRACT
Legumes are essential to Nepalese agriculture because they improve soil health, food security, and sustainable agricultural methods, yet issues like poor soil nitrogen levels and poor nutrient management limit their production; Rhizobium inoculation, the process of introducing elite strains of Rhizobium bacteria to legume roots, shows promise for addressing these challenges, and this review examines its impact on legume production and necessity in Nepalese cropping systems, emphasizing nitrogen fixation, assessing current methods, efficacy, constraints, and sustainability, while discussing challenges farmers face in administering inoculants, offering solutions to raise awareness and uptake, and addressing inoculation’s effects on nodulation, growth, and yield, concluding that Rhizobium inoculation offers a promising approach to enhance legume yield sustainably, though challenges like competition from native rhizobia and environmental factors call for further research and strategic interventions to optimize practices and extend benefits to the farmer level.