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Interaction of Soil Reaction and Method of Seed Inoculation on Alfalfa¹

ABSTRACT

Comparisons of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) growth and survival were made at three sites in western Washington. The soil at each site was adjusted to different pH levels. Conventional seed inoculation and seed pelleted with limestone flour, skim milk, and peat inoculum using methylcellulose as the adhesive were compared at each reaction level. Optimum soil acidity levels for growth and survival of alfalfa were attained at a 0.01M CaCl₂-pH of 5.9 or higher and an exchange acidity level of 0.03 meq/100 g or lower. Both conditions had to be satisfied. Responses to seed pelleting occurred only where the soil was below the optimum acidity level. When soil moisture was adequate during establishment, maximum yields were attained with seed pelleting below optimum soil acidity levels. When moisture was severely limiting during establishment, maximum yields were not obtained with seed pelleting at less than optimum soil acidity levels. Moreover, soil acidity levels had to be closer to optimum to obtain a significant response to seed pelleting. The response to seed pelleting in the years following establishment was due to improved survival rather than individual plant vigor. A high water table during the winter accentuated the response to seed pelleting.

¹ College of Agriculture, Pullman, Wash. Scientific paper no. 3116. Project no. 1425. Presented before Div. S-4, Soil Science Society of America, Washington, D. C., Nov. 9, 1967.

² Associate Soil Scientist, Soil Scientist, and Senior Experimental Aid at the Western Washington Research and Extension Center, Puyallup, Wash. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial and liming-material support given this study by Hemphill Bros., Inc., Seattle, Wash.

Received for publication April 1, 1968. Accepted for publication July 1, 1968.