Caragana arborescens inoculant

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Aaronj, Feb 1, 2010.

  1. Aaronj

    Aaronj Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2010
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Hello
    I am in the US and looking for an inoculant for Siberian pea shrub, or a source of plants that are showing active root nodulation.

    It is said that Siberian pea is good for fixing nitrogen, however from what I can tell the associated Mesorhizobium species are very specific. There is some indication that cowpea-soybean-lupine types of rhizobia will colonize Caragana..

     
  2. Speedy

    Speedy Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2009
    Messages:
    233
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I have no experience with Caragana but when I germinate leguminous seeds
    of species that i haven't grown before, I collect soil from beneath several different species of healthy legume plants and introduce it to the pots.
    starting them in pots allows me to inspect for nodulation before I plant out.

    A fairly low tech method, I guess you could say it's a 'shotgun' approach to it, ut I usually get the results.

    Simmilarly, if i'm growing non-leguminous N-fixers eg. Ceanothus, Elaeagnus, Hippophae, Casuarina, I'll do the same sort of thing.
    I think Frankia spp. is a common root symbionts to most of the above genera.

    Pinus sp. Quercus sp. etc. I'll collect spores of appropriate Ectomycorrhizal species of fungi to introduce to the root zone.

    Sorry, back on topic,
    I guess if you look for healthy individuals of Caragana and collect some soil and roots from the base of the plant(s) and go from there.
     
  3. Aaronj

    Aaronj Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2010
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Thanks for the input, coincidentally, my friend stopped by yesterday who has a lot of caragana growing at his place and needs to excavate some to clear space for a building.... so we'll have a chance to pick through and see if there is any nodulation.

    Here is an interesting and useful link to genera and species of root nodule bacteria of legumes
    for cross-inoculation groups.

    Rhizobium Research Laboratory
     
  4. Speedy

    Speedy Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2009
    Messages:
    233
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Thanks for the handy link Aronj.
    In Aust. for native Acacia spp. we use a product called 'Wattlegrow'.
    It contains strains of Bradyrhizobium spp.

    sounds like you should be ok for Caragana inoculant then.
    just go with the low tech approach then eh?
    It'd be interesting to know the species of rhizobia for future reference though,
    so if it's common to other genera of legumes they could be used as a source if Caragana isn't available.
     
  5. Aaronj

    Aaronj Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2010
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Heres what I have found so far on Caragana:

    Hopefully Caragana microphylla and C. arborescens share their microsymbionts. If so, then like a never ending scavenger hunt, Glycyrrhiza pallidiflora is just not readily available here in Colorado, however Glycyrrhiza lepidota is a native so is worth checking out. (As well as other licorice species in cultivation.) ... and Astragalus adsurgens is a native here (Standing milk-vetch, Tanana milk-vetch) so is another clue to follow.
     

Share This Page

-->