Inoculation is utilizing a naturally occurring bacteria that maintains a symbiotic relationship with the soybean plant. This organism that grows on the plant roots converts nitrogen into nitrates which the plant uses to grow. Soybeans prefer nitrogen from natural resources compared to nitrogen fertilizers. Manufactured nitrogen fertilizers give plants that deep green color, but have been proven not to offer the yield advantage that a biological product does.
Properly nodulated legumes can leave 50 to 300 pounds unused nitrogen per acre in the soil. The nitrogen provided by inoculated legumes grown in crop rotation help boosts yield and lower fertilizer costs by the biological organism digging in and utilizing this unused nitrogen source, in an environmentally safe and user safe manner.
An important fact to note is that an abundance of nitrogen fertilizer will affect nodulation onset. The legume will delay nodulation until it senses a lack of available nitrogen. Only then will it chemically signal the bacteria to infect the root hairs of the seeding.
An Inoculant should always be used under the following conditions:
- Sandy soils
- Soils under stress
- The crop has been out of rotation for four or more seasons
The Ohio State University
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"Inoculating soybeans is a very profitable practice. Although the results have not always been positive, the long-term result is a profit of over 300 percent. For most inoculation products, a yield increase of half a bushel per acre profitable and yield increases of 2 to 7 bu/ac have been common." "Seed inoculants should always be used on soybeans, regardless of variety, crop rotation, soil type, planting date, or tillage." |
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