Technical notes. Responses of tropical legumes to inoculation

Abstract

In the 1953-54 summer season a screening trial of Rhizobium isolates for tropical legumes was planted at Coolum, in the wallum-heath soils of Queensland. This country abounds in native legumes. Those few which have been studied to any extent are recognised as belonging to the cowpea miscellany with respect to cross-inoculation, as do the species used in the trial with the exception of Glycine max (L.) Merr. Prior to inoculation the seeds were surfaced sterilized with 95 per cent. ethyl alcohol for 1 min., followed by O·l per cent. mercuric chloride for 10 min., then washed in four changes of sterile distilled water over a period of 20 min. This method has been found very satisfactory in this laboratory.