An Ecological Study of Marked Rhizobium trifolii Strains on the Host Plant Trifolium repens var. Huai in an Acidic Peat and a Neutral Mineral Soil

An ecological study of the nodulation of Trifolium repens var. grassland Huai by genetically marked Rhizobium trifolii was carried out in two Irish soils, a neutral mineral and an acidic peat. An indigenous population of 2 x 10⁴ R. trifolii /g was found in the mineral soil. In the peat soil, 4 x 10¹ R. trifolii /g was found in the uninoculated peat. This number increased to 4.5 x 10⁵ R. trifolii /g, however, eight weeks after the peat soil was neutralized, supplemented with nutrients and sown with uninoculated clover seed. Indigenous R. trifolii strains from the mineral soil were effective whereas strains from the peat soil were ineffective on the host plant T. repens under plant room conditions. The introduced strains were inoculated on to clover seed at the rate of 1 x 10⁵ R. trifolii /seed. In the mineral soil, the introduced inoculum failed to establish at any period during the growing season. In the peat soil, the percentage establishment of the introduced inoculum varied from 40-50% of nodules selected eight weeks after sowing to 70-90% of nodules selected at the end of the growing season.