New method to measure Soybean Rhizobia

Soil-borne rhizobia bacteria form a mutually beneficial relationship with legumes, during which the rhizobia convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available nitrogen in exchange for carbohydrate energy from the plant. This process is called biological nitrogen fixation and is a major player in the global nitrogen cycle, facilitating greater agricultural productivity with less fertilizer input.

Soybean, a legume planted on nearly 30 million ha annually in the United States, can fulfill most of its nitrogen requirements via biological nitrogen fixation. Many commercial, seed-applied rhizobia inoculants are available to soybean producers to encourage biological nitrogen fixation and increase yield, but scientists have found mixed results regarding the effectiveness of these products.

To begin researching the predictability of a positive yield response to seed inoculation, a team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison determined a new method for the quantification of soybean-associated rhizobia in the soil. The method is described in the November–December 2010 issue of Crop Science. Read more...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.