EFFECT OF INOCULATION BY MOROCCAN ROCK PHOSPHATE- SOLUBILIZING RHIZOBIA, VERSUS PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZATION, ON THE GROWTH AND THE PHOSPHORUS UPTAKE BY Vicia faba

Morocco harbors the largest reserves of rock phosphate worldwide. The natural rock phosphate may constitute a valuable alternative source of phosphorus fertilizer, when a biotechnological process could be applied to promote its solubilization and make phosphorus available to the plants (Hamdali et al., 2008a; Chang and Yang, 2009; Park et al., 2011). Bioinoculums are most promising fertilizers for soil fertility, as alternatives for chemical fertilizer use affecting human health and causing environmental pollution (Khan et al., 2007; Savci, 2012). Valorizing the legume-rhizobia symbiotic associations may constitute a friendly biotechnological pathway to maintain the ecological balance under several environmental stress conditions (Dulormne et al., 2010; Faghire et al., 2013; Oufdou et al., 2014). After nitrogen, phosphorus is an essential plant nutrient whose deficiency severely restricts plant growth (Bolland et al., 2000; Hinsinger, 2001; Majeed et al., 2014). Low soil phosphorus availability is a major limiting factor of crop yields, especially when crop relies on symbiotic nitrogen Pak. J. Agri. Sci., Vol. 53(4), 817-826; 2016 ISSN (Print) 0552-9034, ISSN (Online) 2076-0906 DOI: 10.21162/PAKJAS/16.3461 http://www.pakjas.com.pk