The Effects of Bacterial Inoculation on Agricultural and Quality Characteristics of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) Cultivars

This study was conducted in Kayseri ecological conditions in 2022 to determine the effects of bacterial inoculation on some agricultural and quality characteristics of fenugreek cultivars. In the study, the experiment was set up according to the experimental design of randomized blocks split plots with four replications. Bacterial inoculation (with and without bacteria) was placed in the main plots, and cultivars (Güraslan, Çiftçi and Berkem) were placed in the sub-plots. At the end of the study, bacterial inoculation was found to be statistically insignificant. In addition, cultivars were found to be statistically significant in thousand seed weight and biological yield, and bacterial inoculation x cultivar interaction was found to be statistically significant in seed yield and harvest index. In the experiment, plant height varied between 43.73-46.38 cm, first pod height varied between 17.10-21.08 cm, pod length varied between 11.59-12.69 cm, number of pods per plant varied between 11.50-16.38 pods plant-1, number of seeds per pod varied between 7.70-9.06 seeds pod-1, thousand seed weight varied between 17.93-19.80 g, biological yield varied between 375.73-473.49 kg da-1, seed yield varied between 75.98-109.62 kg da-1, harvest index varied between 19.04-25.35% and crude oil content varied between 5.26-5.74%. Eight different fatty acid components were identified and the main component of these was linoleic acid. Consequently, it can be said that the cultivation of Berkem cultivar without bacterial inoculation in terms of seed yield, and the cultivation of Gürarslan cultivar inoculated with bacteria in terms of UFA are the most suitable practices for fenugreek cultivation in Kayseri conditions.