A field experiment was carried out during 2001 at the Experimental Farm of
the Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University. The aim of the present study was to
evaluate the response of four soybean (Glycine max (L) Merrill) cultivars, Giza 21,
Giza 35. Crawford and Clark, grown on sandy soil inoculated with rhizobium and
phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB). Also, it includes the effects of each and both
bacterial inoculation on root, shoot and seed N, P, protein and oil contents. Roots. straw dry weights, seed yield, 100-seed weight, nodule fresh weights
and nodule numbers were siginificantly higher for both single and combined
inoculation by rizobia and/or PSB than the un inoculated seeds.Giza 35 soybean
cultivar exhibited the best results. Roots, straw and seed Nand P contents of soybean cultivars were greatly
influenced by bacterial inoculation. The highest mean values for roots, straw and seed
N and seed protein contents were obtained when soybean seeds were treated with
the combined inoculation by rhizobium and PSB as compared with the single
inoculation or uninoculated seeds. Meanwhile, the highest mean values for roots,
straw and seed P content were obtained for soybean seeds inoculated with PSB
alone as compared with the inoculated seeds with rhizobium alone or comtined
inoculation by rhizobium and PSB. Crawford soybean cultivar gave the highest root N
and P contents while Giza 21 cultivar gave the highest straw and seed Nand P
contents. There were no significant differences in seed oil content as a result of
bacreial inoculation. Slight differences in seed oil content were found regarding the
variation in soybean cultivars.