Hierarchical Cluster Analysis on Potential Resource of Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria at Wheat Monocrop Production Districts of Bale, Ethiopia

Abstract

Wheat monocrop production system at south eastern highlands of Ethiopia is a threat to productivity and adoption of high value highland pulses such as Faba bean which are the most important pulse crop in Ethiopia. Thirty faba bean nodulating isolates trapped from soil collected from twenty eight locations of Bale zone were characterized for possible diversity.For these purposes numerical taxonomy by multivariate cluster analysis based on physiological characteristics was used and according to which entire test isolates were grouped .Dendrogram constructed from cluster analysis of 56 phenotypic traits, grouped them into three clusters and one  un-clustered positions at 53% relative similarity. Cluster III contained 58% of the test isolates that were grouped together with the reference strains Rhizobium leguminosarum (FBEAL-110), suggesting that besides to  cmmonly nodulated on the study area were also phenotypically diverse. Furthermore, the result indicates the existence of strains in the collection, which can tolerate environmental stresses, thus can be developed into inoculant for highland pulses’ inoculation and production in Ethiopia and beyond.

Keywords: Cluster analysis, Monocropping, Rhizobium leguminosarum

DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/12-21-01

Publication date: November 30^th 2022