INOCULATION: IMPROVING LEGUME YIEID

                                                           Inoculated soya bean

In trying to find ways of improving yields of different crops such as cereals and leguminous crops, a way for improving leguminous crops such as ground nuts and soya beans has been found, which is inoculation. Inoculation is the introduction of microorganism (rhizobia bacteria) into the root nodules of legume plants to form a symbiotic relationship with legume plants, helping to fix nitrogen from the air into a form that can be used by the plants for growth. This nitrogen fixation process helps to increase overall nutrient availability for the plants, vigor and higher yield for legume crops. Inoculants boost yields with at least 40 to 50% and it stimulates protein grain content.

                                                 inoculant soya bean
                                                   

                                                       groundnuts without inoculant

Leguminous plants are relevant, reliable, economic plants mostly grown by small scale farmers as commercial crops to boost their economic standards and of the country. Soya beans and groundnuts is mostly grown by small scale farmers because it does not rely on fertilizer application to grow well as it has root nodules which help them fix nutrients into a form of absorption by the plants themselves hence improving growth and yields thus addressing issues of food security since it serves as an alternative for food. Inoculation also boosts the economy as it can diversify the sources of getting money whether through soya beans production or groundnut production as it also improves the quality of the yields hence creating readily available markets, quality products can be easily sold at the markets. For instance, these crops (groundnuts and soybeans) can be processed into oil, peanuts and some other products thus why these are considered economic plants, and it is easy to find market for these crops. Inoculation is the best way improving soil health and fertility over time as it allows biological fixation of the nitrogen so encouraging farmers to adopt inoculation can help to maintain sustainable agricultural practices that maintain soil healthy and fertility for future generation. In Malawi we rely also in intercropping or crop rotation to improve the yields of cereal crops despite the use of fertilizers so inoculation being taken as a way which can maintain health and fertility of soil, this can also be beneficial in production of cereal crops (maize).so what if inoculation was fully adopted in Malawi by all the farmers the moment it was introduced there could be no complaints of legume failure or low production.

But some report shows that in 2017 farmers were urged to adopt advanced technologies of improving yield of legume crops but  some farmers up to now are still using old ways of growing these crops and some have formulated groups as the way to have access to inoculant, this shows  that the introduction, awareness, adoption and production of inoculants for grounds nuts and soya beans still needs much attention because it might happen farmers being aware and ready to adopt this but if there is limited access of it, that can also be a problem. For instance, a report by N2AFRICA in 2017 shows that the government department of agricultural research service was producing inoculant sachets but accessible only to limited farmers. This shows that there a need to increase production whether through increase of employees to be working in these research station or some other ways experts can use in order to increase the distribution of inoculants sachets in different markets. This will also increase farmer’s awareness of inoculants as these inoculants can be found in most agricultural markets, that’s increasing access of these inoculants by farmers in large numbers hence this can increase the agricultural yields /produce. 

Lucky enough the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources find it wise to be training and teaching student’s pursuing BSc in crop science about inoculation. This is very important because Luanar will shape graduates with special skills and knowledge of inoculation and an effect of knowledge dissemination can also be created because these students will become future agricultural extension officers, researchers and educators who can spread awareness and implementation of inoculation practices among farmers. The transfer of knowledge to farmers holds the potential to drive and contribute to the overall well-being of the country. This gives people hope that once these skills will be displayed and been utilized by the future researchers, extension officers or educators will cause a lot of positive impact to the country since this is not only a step to improve food security but also contributing to building a more sustainable world for future generation. 

In conclusion, inoculation stand as a powerful tool in improving legume and enhancing agricultural sustainability. So, by addressing the challenges of limited access of inoculation can help to unlock the potential of this technology. This is very important because in Malawi farmers needs these skills and technologies of agriculture in order to improve their yields, that’s improving the yields and also boosting the economic status of Malawi because ground nuts and soya beans have high potential with ever increasing demand in both regional and international market.