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RE: Innoculants?
 

Contact your local co-op. This should be what they do... Different seeds wil behave different and have different shelf lives. Some seeds are preonnoculated.

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RE: Innoculants?
 

Innoculants don't affect the germination of the seed. The bacteria that are in innoculants are symbiotic (for the good of both) bacteria that fix nitrogen for the legumes(plants with nitrogen fixing bacteria). Air has 80% nitrogen but this cannot be used by normal plants. Legumes have developed a relatioship where the bacteria live in nodules (balls) on the roots of the plant. The bacteria get shelter and some carbohydrate food from the plant. In return the bacteria take air nitrogen and convert it into organic nitrogen which the plant can use as a nutrient source. The plants which have these bacteria are able to live in nitrogen poor soils. Legumes actually add organic nitrogen to the soil they live in when they decompose.

Dan O.

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RE: Innoculants?
 

That is a bit strange especailly for a farmer. Inocculants insure that the plant will fix enough N through its symbiotic relationship with the bateria. Its also, very cheap insurance, I've never heard not to innoculate. Farmers want to innoculate for two reasons, 1. if N is not readily available to the plant it will not yeild to its potential - and this directly effects dairy, or beef production. 2. Most farmer rotate their crops such that following a legume crop, the will plant corn (in my area). The more N thats been added to the soil directly effects their wallet when fertilizing for corn (an expensive proposition).

Dan O and others are right, the plant might still grow even without an innoculant, though usually not as well. In any case, unless the correct bacteria is available in sufficient numbers in the soil, the plant will be starved for N and not live up to its potential.

It could be that farmers that do not use one, may be overseeding, or following a crop that was known to be innoculated with the correct one.

RE: Innoculants?
 

farm hunter's right. If the soil is high in Nitrogen you may not see much difference. Any addition of nitrogen is a bonus to other crops.

A few dollars for innoculant is cheap insurance to get a better crop.

Dan O.