b'Inoculation May Be Key after Adverse WeatherI THINK IMsafe in assuming that the 2019 crop year is oneAs we move into the planting season, its important to that many would like to forget, certainly across the Midwest. Myremember that Bradyrhizobia are living things that reside in the travels have taken me throughout a wide area over the past 60soil. Proper storage of both the inoculant and treated seeds is days and seeing those standing crops reminds me just how badcritical. Always check the expiry date of a product before using things were in 2019. But a new growing season is now on ourit. Heat is probably the biggest concern so its important to keep doorstep and that means we have an opportunity to right lastthe product in a dry area under 77 degrees Fahrenheit (its also years wrongs and maximize our yields on 2020 crops.important to keep it from freezing). After application, be sure the When weve had adverse conditions, like significant flooding,seeds are covered so they dont get exposed to sunlight. Long we may need to do extra this season to ensure that we get goodterm exposure to sunlight is deadly to Bradyrhizobia.nodulation in soybeans, field peas, green beans and all otherWhile I dont have a crystal ball, I will share my thoughts on legumes. Thats where inoculation becomes critical. An inocu- the coming crop year based on my time in the field over the lant product should be used when soil conditions likely have lowlast couple of months. I believe the eastern corn belt is in better levels of Bradyrhizobia. Flooded ground is definitely somethingcondition than its western counterpart. The northern plains are that we need to be concerned with because much of the bacte- certainly a concern because so many crops remain unharvested ria can be either leached away from the soil or ends up too deepand the water table was extremely high at the end of last year. to do any good. There may not be bacteria in sufficient numbersAnother area of concern is the Mid-South that has had unusually to properly nodulate the legume crop.high precipitation over the last 90 days. I expect the eastern corn Aside from flooding, there are several other soil situationsbelt to be planted early this year, where inoculation may increase yield. For example, if your soilbut the remaining areas hasnt hosted the particular legume for three years, its classifiedwill face some significant as virgin ground. There simply wouldnt be adequate popula- challenges. tions of Bradyrhizobia to take nitrogen from the air and give itAs our climate to the host plant. Soil pH also plays a role. Anything less than 5.8conditions become or higher than 8.5 is not ideal. And if your soil has less than 1%more and more organic matter, seed inoculation is definitely worth considering. volatile, the use of Unfortunately, there really isnt an industry wide standardinoculation prod-when it comes to soil testing for adequate Bradyrhizobia num- ucts should really bers. Growers should ask themselves if theyve had flood orbecome a funda-drought, if their soil is prone to having low organic matter, aremental practice to there pH issues and is compaction a problem. If the answer is yesensure that we get to at least one, an inoculant will help.quality yields year Thankfully the inoculant products we sell today are definitelyafter year on that leaps and bounds ahead of what was on the market just a couplesame piece of land. All of years ago. With inoculated seed in the corn belta regionthe best in the season with the best growing conditionsan increase in yield of upto come. to three bushels per acre is likely. But after a season of adverse conditions, inoculated seeds can produce up to five additional bushels per acre. In the Mid-South, Ive seen increased yield of up to 15 to 20 bushels per acre when a good quality inoculant is used in adverse conditions. VINCE WERTMANREGIONAL SALES MANAGER AND TECHNICAL SERVICES DIRECTOR, ADVANCED BIOLOGICAL MARKETINGvincewertman@abm1st.comwww.abm1st.comINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2020SEEDWORLD.COM /39'