Maize Crop N Uptake from Organic Material of <i>Gliricidia sepium </i>Coinoculated with <i>Rhizobium</i> and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus in Sub-Saharian Africa Sandy Soil

The effect of green manure of gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp) leguminous plants applied forcereal maize cultivation and N uptake by cereal were investigated and analyzedin relation to influence of dual inoculation of gliricidia with microbialsymbionts. Two pot experiments were conducted in greenhouse. The first trialwas set up to enhance growth of gliricidia with exotic and indigenous rhizobialstrains and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and the second to determine theeffect of gliricidia organic material on maize growth. Direct 15N-labellingtechniques were used to estimate N-fixed by gliricidia plant and N uptake ofmaize cereal crop from green manuring was calculated. Growth of gliricidia trees estimated byaboveground biomass production and N fixed were positively affected by dualinoculations. This study showed that shoot dry weight and N accumulation ofmaize cultivated under gliricidia green manure were influenced by itsapplication and indirectly by microbial treatments. The N recovery by the maizeaccounted 17.32% to 26.52% of N applied as gliricidia organic material.Gliricidia green manure N accumulation and release, and afterward microbialinoculations were substantially determining on maize crop N uptake and growthin sandy soil of Sub-Saharian Africa.