Effects of Bacterial Strains and Chicken Manure on Orobanche crenata Infesting Faba Bean

A pot experiment was conducted to assess the effect of bacterial strains and chicken manure on broomrape in faba bean. Results displayed that all treatments reduced Orobanche emergence except the combinations of Rhizobial bacterial strain TAL 1399 and composted chicken manure at 35 g pot-1. Among all treatments faba bean inoculated with TAL 1399 alone or in combinations with Bacillus megatherium var Phosphaticum (BMP) or Azospirillum braziliense (Ab) plus chicken manure at 35 g pot-1 displayed no Orobanche emergence (above the ground) until the end of the experiment. However, Orobanche attachment was observed only when faba bean was inoculated with TAL 1399 plus BMP. Moreover, all treatments increased faba bean plant height and dry matter as compared to the control. Faba bean inoculated with bacterial strain TAL 1399 alone or in combination with chicken manure at 30 g pot-1 sustained the highest plant height as compared to infested or non-infested control. They increased faba bean height by 17-19%. Furthermore, crop treated with TAL 1399 plus chicken manure at 30 g pot-1 was significantly higher in root, shoot and total dry weight as compared to the control and other treatments.