Rhizobium/Bradyrhizobium strain selection and testing for beans and soybeans
Background
Many areas in Minnesota are traditional areas of production for
bean and soybean, and (in theory at least) will only rarely show
response to inoculation. Where inoculation is practiced in these
traditional areas, it is mainly done as insurance, and often not
carried out using the best methodologies. There are, however, areas
of the state (for example the central region of the state around
Staples and Park Rapids) where beans or soybeans are recent introductions,
and where responses to inoculation can be striking. We have been
supported through the Rapid Agricultural Response Fund to carry
out strain selection and inoculant formulation studies, to study
rhizobial/fungicide compatibilities, and to explore the use of mixed
(biocontrol, phosphate solubilizing and rhizobial) inoculants.
Selection studies for bean and soybean inoculant rhizobia
Because there have been few changes in inoculant strain use in
recent years we have tested more than 100 bean and 50 soybean strains
for efficiency in nitrogen
fixation in both glasshouse and field trials. For beans UMR1283,
UMR1523 and UMR1597 are the best strains identified to date; for
soybeans the best strains identified to date are the Rhizoliq strain,
UMR93 and CB1809. Further large plot testing will be undertaken
in 2004.
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Response to inoculation in Phaseolus vulgaris.
Staples 2003.
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Differences in inoculation response in Glycine max.
Staples, 2003. |
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