A TALK ON INOCULATED SEED.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 1689, 5 June 1929, Page 3

A TALK ON INOCULATED SEED.

(Continued from page one). Culture Method of Inoculation.— Properly prepared laboratory cultures possess distinct advantages for applying direct to the seeds. A reliable, concentrated, irell-developed, culture can be grown in such a manner as to exclude the presence of undesirable organisms. Progress in the development of the most efficient legume cultures is based upon careful laboratory preparation.

The Fields Division of the Department of .Agriculture supplies freshj guaranteed cultures grown on jelly in bottles free of charge to lucerne farmers. For further particulars and advice regarding treatment apply to Mr A. S. Duff, B.Sc, C.D.A., Instructor in Agriculture, Alexandra, who will supply full details. Cultures when applied direetly on the seed, enable the young roots to begin drawing nitrogen from the air as soon as the plant can use it. This early nodule formation is important, as it gives the plant a start which may influence the rate of growth to the extent that it gives a greater uniformity of maturity. In cases where some natural inoculation occurs, or where uneven soil inoculation is. applied, the plant roots must grow through the soil until they come in contact with the bacteria. This causes a delay in growth which may be disastrous, besides result ing in "a serious unevenness in maturity. In growing legumes it is important to keep in mind the fact that the bacteria from one kind of legume may serve to work with other legumes. The extent to which this can be used is somewhat as follows:

Legumes which Cross-inoculate.— Lucerne, biennial while sweet clover, biennial yellow sweet clover, Nubani clover, burr clover, yellow trefoil, fpnigreek. .Secondly, red clover, alsike, crimson clover and wild white clovers. Thirdly, garden peas, canning- peas, hairy vetch, spring vetch, wild vetch, broad beau, lentil, sweet pea, perennial pea. Fourthly, cowpea, peanut, velvet bean, bina bean, partridge pea, wild indigo. Fifthly, garden bean, field bean, navy bean, kidney bean, scarlet runner. Sixthly, lupins, serradella. Seventhly, soyabeans are inoculated with the bacteria isolated from the soyabean nodule only.