Comparison of the effectiveness of rhizobium strains during establishment of lotus corniculatus in hill country

Abstract

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus comiculatus L.) cv. Maitland, was separately inoculated with eleven different strains of Rhizobium. Its performance then was compared with an uninoculated control, ‘Grasslands Huia’ white clover, and ‘Grasslands Maku’ lotus from a spring sowing (August 1975) on a low fertility soil at Ballantrae, the Grasslands Division DSIR hill country research area in the lower Ruahine range near Woodville, North Island, New Zealand. Six of the strains performed satisfactorily, with four of these producing consistently high growth rates in the host plants and the highest DM yields at 6 months (February 1976). The results clearly show that careful selection of an effective strain of Rhizobium is required for birdsfoot trefoil to realise its potential. © 1981 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.