Ames, Iowa
March 26, 2009
Because of severe flooding that
inundated millions of acres of Midwestern farmland last season,
agronomic experts are predicting reduced rhizobia counts in
these soils in 2009. Without inoculating these fields, they say,
soybean farmers could be sacrificing significant yield and
profit potential. Soybean seed planted in fields that undergo
any period of flooding, or extended waterlogged conditions,
prior to planting this spring also should be inoculated with
fresh rhizobia bacteria to reestablish populations and improve
yield potential.
Flooding, or extended periods of soil saturation, result in
anaerobic conditions in the soil that can kill native rhizobia.
With soybean production projected to reach as much as 80 million
acres in 2009, the use of a rhizobial inoculant is especially
recommended for adequate nodulation of soybeans planted into
fields that have experienced these conditions, the experts say.
Based on our experience, saturation and flooding for as little
as two to five days will create an anaerobic soil environment
that will kill most rhizobia,” says Jim Beuerlein, professor of
agronomy and soybean research and extension specialist for the
Ohio State University. Beuerlein has evaluated inoculants in
hundreds of field trials for the past 14 growing seasons.
“Over time, these flood-damaged fields will gradually become
reinoculated through small amounts of soil moved by wind, water,
machinery, insects and animals. Still, I would not advise
growers to rely on Mother Nature to solve this problem. My
recommendation is that they take matters into their own hands
and inoculate their soybeans with one of the highly effective
and inexpensive rhizobial products that are available to them,”
Beuerlein notes.
Palle Pedersen, Iowa State University Extension soybean
agronomist, says it is good insurance to inoculate a field that
has been flooded for more than a week. On the Iowa State
University Soybean Extension and Research Program Web site, he
also recommends inoculation if the field has never been planted
to soybeans, if soybeans have not been grown in the field in the
past three to five years, if the soil pH is below 6.0 or if the
soil has a high sand content.
Charlie Hale, U.S. inoculant product manager for
Becker Underwood,
which produces VAULT® inoculants, points out university studies
and independent trials, on average, have shown a yield benefit
from using inoculants of approximately two bushels per acre.
But, the yield benefit often is greater in fields where soybeans
have not been planted in several years, such as occurs with
continuous corn or CRP acres and on soils that have experienced
flooding and the accompanying loss of native rhizobia in the
soil, he adds.
Becker Underwood, Inc., founded in 1982, is an international
developer of bio-agronomic and specialty products. In addition
to being the leading manufacturer of seed coatings and
colorants, the company is also the leading global producer of
inoculants, beneficial nematodes, and a wide range of
agricultural and horticultural products. To learn more about its
products, visit the company’s Web site at
www.BeckerUnderwood.com.
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