Viability of nodule forming bacteria on stored inoculated leguminous seed
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Abstract
Batch inoculation of legume seeds by commercial companies would remedy many of the difficulties encountered in getting proper and uniform inoculation by all planters. From the results of this investigation, which was to test the feasibility of commercial inoculation, the following statements appear to be justified.
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Inoculated Rhizobia may remain on their specific legume seed when stored at 5°C at least 11 months in numbers greatly exceeding those required for good nodulation.
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Sterilization of the seed before inoculation was not necessary in the experiment because of the low total organism count on the seed and because precautions were taken to check the identification of the test organisms.
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Those treated legume seeds stored at 5°C had greater numbers of viable Rhizobia at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 months than the same treatments stored at room temperature for the same length of time.
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It appeared that the amount of moisture present during storage is an important factor in the survival of the organisms regardless of storage temperature.
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The Rhizobia on seeds inoculated with a suspension of the organisms in one per cent gum tragacanth solution withstood the desiccation and storage to a higher degree than organisms inoculated onto the seed suspended only in a water medium.
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In the third month microscopic colonies ranging from 0.05mm to 0.15mm were observed on the various plates of each treatment. The significance of these small colonies is not known.
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When the stored inoculated seed was sprouted and grown under otherwise sterile conditions, it was found that although the average number of organisms per seed varied considerably for the various seed treatments, there was no significant difference between the average nodules produced per plant for the same treatments.
The results of this thesis definitely indicate the feasibility of commercial inoculation of legume seed. It would be necessary, however, to work out certain details previously discussed in this paper before such inoculation could be attempted commercially.