IN INOCULANTS Nodulaid - 17th International Nitrogen Fixation ...

17 th International Congress on Nitrogen Fixation
Fremantle, Western Australia
27 November – 1 December 2011
Session Details: Tuesday 29 November 2011
Concurrent Session 6 – Field Applications II
1100 - 1230
Author: Nicole Seymour 1 , Maurice Conway 2 , Andrew Erbacher 2 , Darren Aisthorpe 3 and Max
Quinlivan 2
1 Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Leslie Research
Centre, Toowoomba, 4350, Queensland.
2 Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Emerald, 4720,
Queensland.
3 Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Biloela, 4715,
Queensland
Presentation Title: Nitrogen fertiliser reduces nodulation of mungbean but gives no yield advantage in
Central Queensland
Presentation Time: 1140 - 1200
Mungbean or green gram (Vigna radiata) is a short-seasoned tropical pulse crop used as a high protein human
food. Australian production varies from 30000 to 60000 tonnes per year, 95% of which is exported. Mungbean
production has increased in Central Queensland (CQ) due to high prices, improved yields and its valuable role in
weed management.
Low nodulation and N-fixation by commercial mungbean crops in the northern grain-growing region of Australia
(Busby and Lawn 1992) suggested that inoculated mungbean was N-limited and current inoculation technology
may be ineffectual (Herridge et al. 2005).
Five field trials were conducted in 2010-11 across CQ to determine whether an economic response could be
gained by applying fertiliser. Several N, P and Zn fertiliser rates were tested separately and in combination. All
mungbean seed (cv. Crystal) was inoculated with the bradyrhizobial strain CB1015, as peat slurry except for one
treatment (uninoculated with no fertiliser). At one site, on a self-mulching brown Vertosol at Wowan, Queensland,
the impact of fertiliser on nodulation was assessed.
In three of the five trials there was a significant yield response to inoculation but no consistent yield response to
fertiliser treatments. At Wowan, nodulation scores indicated there was a suppressive effect of urea fertiliser at 20
and 40 kg N/ha. There was no effect of any treatment on nodule dry weights. The results indicated that there
was no economic advantage from added N fertiliser for inoculated mungbean cv. Crystal.
Bushby HVA, Lawn RJ (1992) Nitrogen fixation in mungbeans – expectations and reality. In „Proceedings of the
6 th Australian Society of Agronomy conference‟. Pp 161-164. (Australian Society of Agronomy: Armidale)
Herridge DF, Robertson MJ, Cocks B, Peoples MB, Holland JF and Heuke L (2005). Low nodulation and nitrogen
fixation of mungbean reduce biomass and grain yields. Aust J Exp Agric. 45:269-277
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