Abstract

The growing enphasis in sustainable agriculture nitrogen fertilization using organic materials motivates the study of improved nitrogen availability in vetch (Vicia benghalensis) grown in alluvial soils of central Chile. With the aim of providing alternatives to artificial N sources, the present research analyzes symbiotic N studies aimed to optimize the contribution of N fixation as a means of attaining stability of N mineralization from organic materials in the soil. Greenhouse trails were made using central zone alluvial soils and native strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae. Strains were characterized by isolation in YEM medium and by determination antibiotics resistance profiles and plasmid profiles using DNA electrophoresis. Plants were grown under controlled environmental conditions in pots with selected soils. The behavior of different Rhizobium strains was compared to uninoculated treatments with and without N-fertilizer. DM production (aerial and root), N-accumulation by the plants, nodulation, nitrogenase enzyme activity and ureides content, were superior (p = 0,05) for strain 3. The results support further strain 3 experimentation under field conditions.