The survival of the commercial inoculant in white clover and lucerne

Abstract

For maximum N2 fixation to occur, legumes must be nodulated by efficient strains of rhizobia. When resident naturalised populations of rhizobia are high, the need for commercial inoculant has been questioned (Lowther & Kerr, 2011). This research investigated the survival of the commercial inoculant for white clover and lucerne in the field in New Zealand. The survival of the commercial inoculants RRI128 for lucerne (Medicago sativa L.)and TA1 for white clover (Trifolium repens L.) was investigated at two Lincoln University dryland sites. The aim was to quantify the duration of survival of the commercial inoculants for lucerne and white clover in the presence of naturalized strains.