Rhizobia selection for white clover in acid soil

Abstract

A green house trial was conducted in a HAPLOHUMOX soil with the aim of selecting 16 Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii strains efficient in fixing N2 symbiotically in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) in acid soils (pH 5.2). Dry matter (DM) and total N (TN) were evaluated in three cuts and fresh nodules weight on the third cut. The strain EEL 13882, acid and Al-tolerant, showed the best performance in terms of TN, supperating the strain SEMIA in 16.7% and the SEMIA 265 in 21.5%. The strain EEL 16882, acid-tolerant but Al-sensible, equalized with the strains recommended for inoculant production (SEMIA 222, 235 and 265) in both parameters (DM and TN). The fresh nodules weight was not correlated to the DM and TN.